Of Grades and Greasers
by Madame Apathy
Summary: When a friend is seriously injured, the Nerds attempt to find the culprit with help from new allies. Clique war ensues.Rated T for some violence and because I'm a bit paranoid .
1. Chapter 1

As a warning, I'm currently reworking this story because I think I could do much better. I'll be making a few tweaks to the plot and a few changes here and there, but it'll mainly just be pretty similar. The only thing is that I may be including a few more plot elements. As a rough guide, if the story's in first person, it hasn't been updated yet. Hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Regretably.

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Chapter 1

You would expect a nerd to know better than to walk home unprotected.

Between the rain crashing against the pavement in the cold and the dim light glowing eerily from the street lamps that weren't broken, Bucky doubted he'd have been out at all had it not been Wednesday night, and therefore roleplaying night at Dragon's Wing Comics. Now came the attempts to avoid prefects punishing any evildoers for the heinous crime of being a minute late to bed. The boy seemed to sense this, running forward like a hyperactive greyhound in an attempt to get back to school on time. After a few seconds of running- he wasn't made for track- an ache seeped into his puny leg muscles, making him pause for a moment to glance at his watch. Eleven. He was late anyway now. What point was there in getting injured? Besides, it was cold- a nerd out and alone on a summer night was just asking to be beaten, but what was there to fear on a November night, when everyone else would be tucked up in bed?

His senses woke up once he began dawdling back to the school; stars glittered in the copper sulphate sky, the cold wind wrapped itself around Bucky like a barbed wire coat, and the smell of wet pavement danced in the air, mingling with smoke from the spluttering, wheezing cars coughing their way along the road, almost begging someone to send them to the scrapheap. As the traffic began to die away, new sounds and sights became apparent; clothes tinged inky blue from the dark, slurred laughter sneaking towards the nerd, a drunken roar...  
"Bucky! How are you, my friend?"  
"Oh, um... fine, thank you, T-"  
"Good, good. You've done our essays, haven't you?" a bottle slipped from the boy's grip, giving Bucky a slip second to step back as the two other figures snorted, beer strangling the boys' chortling.  
"Yeah..."  
"Good," The other boy stretched his palm out expectantly. Cold drops of panic appeared on Bucky's forehead.  
"They're... err... in the dorms! Yeah... So I'll give you them in the morning," the nerd squeaked, edging away. He'd pulled all night essay writing off before, and Melvin would most likely help out if Bucky gave him a soda for his troubles.

Annoyance flickered through the bloodshot brown eyes as Bucky's own eyes frantically darted around me like a ball in a pinball machine.  
"No matter... We'll walk back with you for them," Bucky's heart dropped into his stomach. He took a deep breath of cold air. The longer he kept quiet, the worse his punishment would be.  
"I haven't done it," What was meant as a casual statement betrayed betrayed the nerd's calm demeanor. Anger flashed across three partially lit faces.  
"What?" Bucky felt his legs tremor , knowing they needed to run soon .  
"I-I can get them done!" he squeaked, know enough about ethanol to realise that someone under the influence of it was easy to anger and hard to calm, knowledge which unfortunately proved to be accurate.  
"Really?" a deeper voice snarled. "And how do you intend to do that in a few hours? You said they'd be done,"  
"I know! And they will be, but please just give me till the morning,"  
"You agreed tonight. Pathetic!" The insult was punctuated with shoves and jabs. "Typical, isn't it?"  
"Completely," his accomplice muttered. "It's our own fault for depending on the wimp,"  
"Maybe so. What were we expecting from a boy whose best friend is his mad granny?"  
"Leave her out of it, you vile neanderthal! At least my family actually like me!"

No sooner than the words left his mouth did regret set it. If they'd been mad before, his words were a red flag to a bull. They'd kill him now, he was sure of it. In a futile move, Bucky turned and darted off- or tried to- as though the paving stones were hot coals, tripping over his own shoes and thudding to the floor, gravel digging into his cheek. A foot slammed into his ribs, sending searing pain to scream through Bucky's body. He squeezed his eyes shut.

"Crap," The boys stepped back in horror at their handiwork. "He's alive, right?" No one spoke. One of the boys stepped forward and reached out towards the unmoving boy.  
"What are you doing?"  
"Checking his pulse," the boy jerked his hand away from Bucky's skin the second he touched it, staring at the warm liquid on his fingertips. Blood. "Oh God..."  
"What? Is he ali-" A man's o "Hey! What's going on over there?"  
"Shit. Run,"  
"Bu-"  
"They'll take care of him, just run!" There was no point arguing. The other two boys obeyed and vanished down the road after him, easily outrunning the unwitting witness. The man turned his head and sighed.  
"Damn kids," If he got home and Norton wasn't there, he'd kill him. What had those boys been doing, anyway? The policeman edged forward, pointing the flashlight. At first glance, there was nothing there he hadn't been expecting. A broken bottle, small stones, a few bits of garbage. The light creeped along the pavement, catching sight of an outstreched arm laid on the floor. He muttered a word he'd have grounded his son for. "Kid, you ok?" No answer. He stepped forward to get a better look. "Kid?" Bucky's injuries were more apparent in the bright light; lavender bruises bloomed on lily white skin, poppy red liquid dripping from his face. His face was frighteningly still, his eyes closed.

"Oh God..."


	2. Chapter 2

This chapter's been updated recently. I'll do my best to get the next chapter up very soon. On another note, I have a poll up if anyone would please have a look at that.

Disclaimer: If this was mine, I'd be too busy happy-dancing to write fanfiction.

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Chapter 2

"Melvin, have you seen Bucky today? He's taking forever," The boy shrugged in response.  
"Alas, he was not in Chemistry. I was going to lend him a game, but he didn't come to see me for it," The rain pattered against the windows of the library with tree braches flailing wildly at the windows as though begging to be let in. The smoky clouds eclipsed the sun, leaving only the occasional lightning flash to kill the darkness. Thunder's voice boomed and shouted in unison with the dull ticking of the clock. "Let us give him five more minutes before we soldier on without him. The fair maiden won't rescue herself,"

Twenty minutes later, the two were still waiting.  
"I could have been studying this whole time," Beatrice joked, or tried to."Where do you suppose he is? He's never late,"  
"Maybe he went without us?"  
"Maybe. We'll give him two more minutes-"  
"You said that fifteen minutes ago,"  
"Did I? That went quick," The girl squinted out the window for a moment. Wind and wetness, but no sign of their friend. "Maybe you're right. Sorry about making you wait," Melvin nodded.  
"'Tis not a problem. Come on, before the heavens open again," he added before the nerds stepped out of the library, books over their heads to protect them from the cold, constant rain.

They didn't get very far before Christy darted over like a dog after a rabbit.  
"Beatrice," she panted, wringing her ponytail out. "I heard that Bucky's in hospital- is it true?" Her eyes flashed with excitement at the concept of getting some fresh gossip. The nerds looked at each other, faces paler than calcium.  
"W-What did you say?" the nerd girl checked, aching for the gossip to start laughing, to say she was joking.  
"Bucky- Angie told me that Pedro told her that he heard Crabblesnitch tell Miss Danvers that Bucky was in hospital," The fact that this was fourth hand was little reassurance. I looked at an equally shocked Melvin.  
"He's your roommate, isn't he? Please tell me she's joking," At this, Melvin went whiter than the abominable snowman.  
"Um- I didn't see him this morning, but he usually gets up early and goes to the library. I thought he was there," The gossip vulture was still staring, that sick , sinister imagination of hers probably concocting something horrid.  
"Christy- Are you absolutely sure? Is he ok? What happened to him?" Appalled by the mad belief that a friend's safety mattered more than gossip, the non-clique student rolled her eyes.  
"Angie says he's at the hospital now with all sorts of breaks and bruises, according to Lois."

That was all the boy's friends needed to hear. The blonde girl rushed over to her bike, waited the millisecond it took Melvin to jump on his, then peddled madly, pleading quietly, over and over like a song on a loop.

"Please let him be all right,"


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I am not Rockstar. I don't own this. Please don't sue me.

Chapter 3- Hospital

The white walls of the hospital almost glowed with cleanliness, the sickly scent of lemon air freshner was enough to strip paint with. A great effort had been made to make the waiting room cheery; paintings of puppies and landscapes hung on the walls, bright lilies stood proudly in a glass vase. Unfortunately, the snooty, skinny, frowning woman at the counter spoiled the effect a bit. Not even making an effort to look happy, her mean little eyes glared sharply at us, counting the seconds till her lunch break.  
"What do you want?" she asked bluntly, pulling an expression like she had a bad smell up her nose after one look at the two children in front of her. If the bogey green clothes weren't a crime against fashion, she didn't know what was. Both of them deserved to be hanged outside Gucci by their shoelaces.

One of the brats, a fat boy with hair that needed cutting, started to speak to her. Great. She went to drama school for this?  
"Please could you tell us if you perchance have a patient with the surname 'Pasteur'?" The stuck-up woman's manicured fingers bashed the keyboard as though it had offended her.  
"We do" she said, not bothering to give them a second glance. "Are you relatives?"  
"Well, no but-"  
"You can't see him, then,"  
"Is he alright, Miss?" the girl piped up, pleading at the realisation that Christy was right for once.  
"If he was alright, he wouldn't be here!" Beatrice's eyes started to glisten with worry.  
"What's wrong with him? Is he badly hurt? Will he be ok soon?"  
"I can't tell you if you aren't family members. Sorry." she added in a tone that was less than apologetic.A gentle hand gripped Beatrice's shoulder.  
"Maybe if we come back tomorrow, someone will help us," Melvin punctuated this with a dirty look at the receptionist, noting that her name tag happened to read 'Lucy Wiles'.

Sure enough, the nerds were back the next day as soon as the school bell rang, bringing the entire group. Thanks to Christy and her big mouth, they already knew and were just as worried as I was. Thankfully, a red-cheeked girl sat at the reception in Mrs. Wiles' place.  
"Can I help you, kids?" she smiled, a sweet, toothy grin like a child's. The sparkle in her eyes comforted the group, giving Earnest enough bravery to talk.  
"Could we see a patient, please? A Bucky Pasteur?"  
"Sure," she replied, oblivious to the boy's approving glance where her top button should have been done. "Brought in the other night, right? Still, I bet he feels lucky having so many visitors." She stood up and led them to the room, stopping just outside. "If anyone asks, you're family, ok? I know it's dumb, but regulations and all that." Immediately, seven heads nodded and the door swung open like Aladin's cave.  
Looking at their friend's dove white skin and the strawberry scratches criss-crossing along his body, the term 'lucky' seemed nothing but palpably wrong, unless the girl had meant "lucky to be alive".

He looked better than expected, but not much; violet bruises covered his pale skin; a papery bandage snaked around his arm; his eyelid were closed, dark blue from violence, a few tiny cuts above his eyebrows. Once the initial shock dissipated, questions rumbled through the room.  
"Who did this?"  
"Where did they find him?"  
"Just past the bridge, doctor said he's got a cracked rib as well as the other stuff."  
"Should we wake him up?" Earnest asked.  
"I think the doctor said he was unconscious." "It's a shame he can't tell us who did it."  
"Would you help me find out?" Six heads turned in the direction of the high, quiet question. "They can't just get away with this. Please." After a moment of silence, the boys nodded in agreement. When a single gear is faulty, the machine stops working unless someone sorts the problem. This was no different.  
"We'll list who it could have been and find out tomorrow." Earnest announced, the final word drowning below the theories sprouting up like weeds between the paving stones.  
"I bet it was the jocks," Cornelius piped up.  
"Of course it was those rapscallions,"  
"Are you thure? Could've been the greatheballs,"  
"Thad, is there a reason behind that theory?"  
"They're dickth?"  
"Well, since we're brainstorming. Who else?" Within an hour, nearly every person the nerds had ever met had been collected up onto a list in the back of a notebook, each one tied up with thoughts and theories. Ideas swam about the room, numerous as tadpoles in a pond before a voice interrupted.  
"Sorry, visiting time's over," The nerds turned to the girl reluctantly before shuffling from the room. With any luck, Bucky would wake soon. In the mean time, they had to find their own answers. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Where were you last night, son?" Norton put his fork down and looked at his father. How many more times?  
"The Tenements," His father nodded, pushing his own food around the plate. He would've eaten, if only to appease the wife, but the bright red sauce made him think of blood, which in turn made him think of the kid. How would he feel if it was Norton in a hospital bed instead of some nameless boy in a green jumper? Silently, the three returned to eating, not saying a word until half an hour later as Mrs. Williams grabbed up the plates and flitted into the kitchen, leaving the two males at the empty table.  
"I won't be mad if you were somewhere else, you know"  
"I wasn't,"  
"Was it just you there?"  
"Nah, Johnny and Peanut were there too," Three boys. Mr. Williams shook his head. He'd brought his boy up better. He'd seen too many old friends go to jail to let it happen to his kid. Imagine! Arresting Johnny's father had been bad enough with his colleagues snickering behind his back. Not that he'd been surprised- the idiot been hotheaded, young, thought he was indestructible. In short, exactly like his son, while the policeman had been calmer, more restrained, a trait he could only hope Norton had inherited.  
"If you were anywhere else, then it's best to tell me now,"  
"I wasn't," Norton replied slowly, his grip on the glass tightening.  
"Mind your tone. Ray, will you stop badgering the boy? He's not a liar," The policeman's cynical glance flickered between his wife and son. "What's that look for?"  
"Nothing," he insisted, shaking his head. Norton was a good boy, the one who kept the others on the straight and narrow. Then again... "Just thought I should say,"  
"Why?"  
"Something at work, you know how it is,"  
"Enlighten me," The man took a deep breath.  
"Some kid from his school's in hospital. Broken ribs, bruises, the works," He paused, taking a breath as the words seeped into his son's head.  
"So you thought I did it?" The boy jumped up as though he'd been sitting on a hot stove.  
"No, but... Listen, I'm not that old. I remember what teenage boys are like. Peer pressure an' all that,"  
"It wasn't me! Ask the guys, if you want,"  
"Will I find anything if I do?" Before Mr. Williams could reply, Norton stormed from the room, door creaking open behind him as he squeezed past his mother .  
"What was all that about?" his wife enquired, raising a cup to her lips and gazing expectantly.  
"Long story," the man muttered, before going into detail about the boy in the street, the bruises, the breaks, the bumps, the blood, the catalogue of brutality written on his body with angry red ink. "What if the boy had been dead?" he asked. "What if that had been our boy?" This was the question that haunted him perpetually at work. What if Norton had been beaten? What if Norton got into drugs? What if Norton mugged some old lady? Of course, fathers tend to know very well what their child isn't capable of, but- and this is true most of the time- that won't stop worry buzzing in a man's ear till he wants to bring his fist down on it.

Sarah listened, patient faced and still before she spoke.  
"Norton wouldn't get involved with that, Ray," she soothed, her mouth a sweet "O" blowing on her coffee. "He's a sweet boy, and he's not dense enough to get pressured into anything." The dose of maternal sense didn't cure the man's insecurity.  
"They said that about Tony. Do you remember what happened the last time we heard that?" The coffee cup clattered down, waves in the cup colliding and dripping over the side a few moments after the short drop from Sarah's grip to the table.  
"Get that thought from your head right now, Ray Williams. Our son is no simple Tony Vincent. He's a good boy, and we both know it. You may not like the company he keeps- and don't even get me started on how hypocritical that is- but we raised a good boy, not a thug. Norton will be fine, Ray. He wouldn't do that, no matter what his friends said." The words were fierce, barely softer than the growl from a bear's throat. In sixteen years of marriage, he could count on one hand the number of times Sarah had raised her voice and have fingers to spare.

Wind was screeching outside. October darkness protected delinquents on the street, helped by the cold wind hassling the officers. A little bit less light, Ray mused, and there'd be a permanent eclipse. Perhaps had it been lighter, his mind would have eased. That way, he'd know the identities of the faceless culprits. He had his theories, of course- only kids drank in the street, not people with ID for bars. Hopefully, they had a chance if they were young, could still learn to know better. Then again, what kind of kids ganged up on another boy like a pack of wolves? Worse yet, if kids were capable of things like that, who wasn't?

Shaking his head, the policeman stood up, straight-backed and sturdy. Working too hard. That was it. Too much work was screwing with his head. His son wasn't responsible. Any other kid, sure, but not Norton. Not his baby boy.  
"I hope you're right, Sarah. I truly do." 


	5. Chapter 5

If you're reading this, then thanks for being so patient while I rework this. I'm trying to get it done ASAP.

Disclaimer: Bully isn't mine. If I owned it, I would be too busy doing a little victory dance to write this.

Chapter 5

Bucky managed to force my eyelids back open as his friends' voices bounced around him, too animate to be coherent. Immediately, his body reassured me that Sunday night wasn't some awful nightmare, each nerve dulled and aching as though they'd been cauterised away. The tiny room looked even smaller while it was so cramped; a six inch high pile of notes sat on the bedside table beside three untouched boxes of chocolates, along with cards, letters from his grandmother and a mobile phone with the note "Call us when you wake up".Seven grinning faces lit up the room like blazing stars in a charcoal sky, each one a beacon of fire flickering in the boy's blurred sight. Questions darted at him like bullets from a shotgun, shaking his cochleas like rattles with their insistence.  
"How are you feeling?"  
"Is your arm ok?"  
"Shall I sign your cast?"  
"Do you want a drink?"  
"Guys, Beatrice, I'm fine. Who brought all the stuff, by the way?" I asked, a warm glow in his chest at the realisation that my friends cared so much- even Ted couldn't hope for that kind of attention.  
"We took turns. Bucky?" Beatrice ventured softly, soothing as a mother."Do you remember who did this to you?"

In a moment, the attack flashed before him like a sick film; the outstreched hand, the bottle, the blue shirts, the hard, intoxicated eyes.  
"Yes," The admission came out choked, confused and throttled. Why did it matter? Nerds were untouchables, barely worth ignoring, so who would believe them? Who would care?  
"Do you know who hurt you?" The tranquil tone didn't conceal the blazing fury radiating through the room. For a miniscule moment, the injured boy felt a hint of sympathy for his attackers- hell hath no fury like a pissed off nerd, and this single room contained at least seven.  
"Beatrice... what are you going to do?" What could she do? Slender, sweet, slightly spotty teenage girls hardly struck fury into the hearts of thousands.  
"Tell Crabblesnitch, or their parents, or pretty much anyone who'll listen to me for two minutes." Crap. Time to prepare for another battering.  
"But they'll beat me again- probably you guys too."  
"Then we'll get even some other way,"  
"How?"  
"I don't know," his friend admitted gravely. "But I'll think of something. Please, Bucky. Think what they've done to you,"

After about an hour of coaxing, cajoling and outright pleading, the names spewed out, hard as flint in the cold truth's light; Spencer, Taylor and Montrose. Three boxers. Beatrice felt a scream in the back of her throat. So much for fighting fair! Trying to put her murderous thoughts on hold, she wrapped her arms gently around Bucky's shoulder, careful not to touch his ribs or arm. She thought about everything he'd told her- about the papers, the punches. The paper wasn't even a difficult one- fairly simply, really, just a little explanation of molecular bonding. To brutalise her friend for that!  
"Thanks , Bucky - they're going to pay for this" 


	6. Chapter 6

Hiya ! Thanks to anyone reading this. Still no reviews for this - I'm starting to feel a bit unloved.

Italics are thoughts

Disclaimer : I wish I owned this game and it's characters, but I don't.

Chapter 6

"Yes?" The voice of a fifty-something man with iron streaks running into his brown hair and stern, steely eyes boomed about the room, marching through the door to Beatrice, who cautiously shuffled into the warm, clean office with a huge mahogany desk lost under paperwork. The room was almost the size of a classroom, she guessed, and far better furnished. A simpering Miss Danvers glanced at me before beaming at her precious Crabblesnitch, who looked up at me, oblivious to the secretary's adoration.  
"Dr. Carabblesnitch, I need to speak to you about something... important, if you don't mind," Beatrice requested, glancing about the room through thick glasses. He waved a hand to dismiss Miss Danvers, who was still visually worshipping him. Would it kill her to kiss him and be done with it? Scowling at the girl, she walked out of the room, leaving behind a cup of steaming coffee for her darling Crabblesnitch.

"Right then, Miss Trudeau, what seems to be the problem?" At this, the nerd took a deep breath- reporting a rule-breaker was like stapling a "Kick Me" sign to your own face. Then again, at least Bucky would receive some justice.  
"It's about Bucky Pasteur, Sir. He was beaten up a few day ago by Bif Taylor, Tad Spencer and Bryce Montrose. He was unconscious until yesterday."  
"Are you sure- who told you this?"  
"Bucky did, Sir. He said that they were drunk."  
"Hmm- I'll see to it they apologise and there will be a detention for drinking." Detention and a fake apology. The offer was almost insulting, like giving a blind man a picture book for christmas.  
"Sir, I think it's more serious than that," she persisted, using every ounce of self-control to maintain her calm tone. "Bucky's really badly hurt."  
"Young men are very resilient, young lady. He'll get over it, so why ruin three futures over a drunken mistake?" Was he mad?  
"He has cracked ribs and a broken arm, Sir. A detention is hardly a punishment." Beatrice replied slowly, as though trying to shove the thought into his skull.  
"My dear girl, the Spencers and Taylors are major investors in our fine institution-". At this, she couldn't help herself from butting in.  
"So that makes brutalising pupils all right, does it?" her voice quivered with the words.  
"You're exaggerating, Miss Trudeau. I'm sure that-"  
"Exaggerating!" Her voice rose about an octave. "My best friend is in a hospital bed, and you're given the brutes responsible a detention! They broke his arm! They smashed a bottle over his head! What if he hadn't woke up? What if he'd got infected? What if-"  
"Miss Trudeau, control yourself," he said firmly, not seeing the fury rattling through the girl. Her thoughts were too focused on not slapping Crabblesnitch into Elizabethan England to register what he was saying.  
"Never mind." I breezed, walking from the room before I murdered someone.

As the nerd stormed to English, a million murderous thoughts ran through her head. It looked like they would need another way to get their blood debts repaid. Suddenly, an idea struck like a shooting star- who needed Crabblesnitch? Halting at the lockers, she grabbed her diary, ripped out a few blank pages and scribbled dementedly before slipping a page in each of the boy's lockers.

The day dragged on through English until the school bell sung out, leaving the girl free to speed towards the library, occasionally tripping over my own feet due to walking too quickly.

And then she waited...  



	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer : If I owned Bully, I would never stop smiling. Sadly , I don't.

Chapter 7

Mindless chatter flooded the corridor as the school bell clanged. The blue sky seemed a world away from the recent storms as the gentle breeze shook the trees outside. The nerd king blundered down the corridor with as much grace as a greyhound on rollerblades, looking over his shoulder to check for jocks or certain three preps. Wanting to get his homework out of the way, he fiddled with my locker, a shred of white paper catching his eye as it fluttered to the floor like a dying butterfly.

Crabblesnitch didn't listen. If we want justice, we have to do it ourselves. If you want to help, meet me at the library at four tonight. If not, please don't tell anyone about this.

B

That bastard- how bad did things have to get before the headmaster took things seriously? More importantly, what was Beatrice expecting them to do? Unless they bombed Aquaberry, little would faze the preps. In as much as helping would be noble, it wouldn't acheive much- to assume that people will stop beating us would be cruelly inaccurate. Besides, what if they hurt him like Bucky?

Like Bucky. Thinking of the boy, remembering him pale, bruised, battered and broken, any doubt in Earnest's mind evaporated like boiling water, raw fury replacing it. A perilous ocean of memories flooded into his mind; being beaten by Tad, shoved into bins, having cruel jokes played on him- memories that continued until he almost drowned in them, gulping and gasping for breath. Finally, he remembered Bucky, how tiny he looked, how frail, how out of place he looked in a hospital bed as opposed to a mortuary slab. His crime? Being out a little bit past curfew and not doing homework that wasn't his. Beatrice was completely right to be furious, especially since it was her Bucky had known the longest, her who had introduced us to him in first year, her he loved like his own family (something he had, at one point, confused with infatuation, an episode their friendship recovered from almost immediately). That was probably a more appropriate term for us than a clique- a family. Cliques seemed more like people who were expected to stay together for no other reason than similar appearance or status. The nerds, on the other hand, each knew every detail of each other's lives as though they were paintings each of them had studied for years. They all knew each other's locker combinations, birthdays, dreams, fears, thoughts and ambitions- no subject was taboo. Nothing was for show- they said what they thought, acted how they wanted, and could even forget whatever atrocity was tossed their way by superficial jocks, because there was always at least seven people who loved them regardless.

Adament, Earnest read the note one last time before pacing towards the library, knowing that Bucky would do cheer him on if he knew.

Nearly five minutes later, Earnest bounced through the door after what seemed like eternity.  
"Sorry I'm late," he gushed ,flopping into the seat between Algernon and Francis. Praying that Algie had went to the toilet before he came, he leaned back, looking like a dandellion between two rocks observing the room. Radiating gratitude, Beatrice stood up, smiling at the now fully assembled table. Well, not quite fully- Bucky's regular chair remained empty.  
"First of all, thanks so much for coming, guys. I knew I could count on you to help." Beatrice said, brown eyes glowing gratefully even after she put on a slightly more businesslike expression. "Anyway, judging from the lack of questions, I'm guessing you all got my note. Unfortunately, it seems that if we want to get back for Bucky, we're going to have to think of anyone got any ideas?" Immediately a few hands went up- it seems that vicious plans were becoming contagious.  
"Right, we'll go clockwise. Algie?"she asked expectantly, pen in hand.  
"We could throw stink bombs at the fans in Harrington House,"  
"Hmm... not too bad, but only three of the preps are responsible, so if we could refrain from hurting the others, please? We don't need anyone else critical. Fatty?"  
"We could inform the local paper. That would scandalise the Preps a bit."  
"Right, that's a 'maybe'. Thad?"  
"Why don't we get a chainsaw and-"  
"Absolutely not! Cornelius?" she asked expentantly, pushing her glasses back up her nose.  
"Well... perhaps we could get the Greasers to help us? They're not exactly allies, so we wouldn't need to do much, and Crabblesnitch would just put it down to clique rivalry. They're like Capulets and Montagues." Grins lit up his friends' faces at this idea, probably picturing the offending preps with bruises as bad as Bucky's.  
"That's actually brilliant, Cornelius. Does anyone have any ideas or should someone speak to Johnny Vincent tomorrow?" Beatrice asked, throwing an admiring glance at Cornelius. They stayed silent, nodding in agreement like the cat ornaments you can buy with the bobbing heads.  
"It's engendered, then. Now that's settled, off to the hospital." 


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry this is taking so long. I should be ashamed of myself.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this. I wish I did.

Chapter 8

The cold wind roared and whimpered, shaking the three green figures outside the tenements like three blades of grass in the breeze.  
"You two didn't have to come, you know," a girl's voice mumbled. Hearing this, the two boys leaned the rusty, rickety old bikes lovingly against the wall.  
"You didn't honestly think we'd let the maiden go alone on our quest?" Melvin asked, grinning. "You might run into trouble." At this, the girl plucked a seemingly innocent candy-spray container from her pocket. Holding it up between her finger and thumb, a sneaky smirk slipped onto her face. On a jock, that expression wouldn't have left a dry pair of trousers in the area. On a fellow nerd, it was contagious, a promise of great things to come.  
"That's why Thad gave us these," she reminded them, braces glinting as she examined Thad's deceptive handiwork. Reaching into his pocket for his own vial, Earnest wasn't sure whether to be pleased or corcerned that Thad had concocted the idea of dissolving itching powder in chilli juice for them. Shoving the "candy spray" back into her coat pocket, the nerd girl took a deep breath.  
"Ready?"  
"As we'll ever be" the larger boy answered, stepping up to the door and rapping his knuckles against it.

* * *

The floorboards moaned like a wounded boy under Peanut's weight, dusty footprints trailing behind him as he wandered to the door. Who could that be? Johnny was in the back moping over Lola(again), Vance was in the bathroom obsessing over his coif, Norton was trying yet again to comfort Johnny and any moron could guess where Lola was- out in the streets with her tongue down some rich kid's throat. Everything about the building sung with age; wind whistled through the cracked windows, chairs creaked as people sat in them and the front door moaned as the greaser lieutenant opened it.

Whoever the boy had expected, it certainly wasn't expecting three Nerds. This wasn't their patch, and it wouldn't be a social call. So why their broad was with them? Girls were usually kept out of clique business (except Lola, in which case she probably caused it). Oddly, she was the first to speak.  
"Hi. Umm... this may seem a bit odd, um, but is Johnny Vincent there?" she asked, her head down and her hands twisting together like the vines of an old tree trunk. Curious, the greaser raised an eyebrow.  
"Who's asking?" he replied, eyeing the two other nerds, one he recognised as the leader. Why the hell was she asking for Johnny when he was there? Even nerds weren't that pathetic that they needed some girly to speak for them.  
"Beatrice. This is Earnest, " she explained, gesturing nervously towards the scrawny, shorter boy. "And this is Melvin." she continued, pointing at the other boy, who threw him a jumpy smile. Peanut mumbled "Hi" to the two boys before turning his attention back to the girl.  
"Sorry lady, but Johnny's kind of..." He searched for the right words. "...busy at the moment."  
"Oh. Could you please tell him that we need to speak to him?"

Suddenly, Johnny called.  
"Peanut? Who's there? Is it Lola? Lola, are you there?"  
"It's not her, Johnny. It's Earnest... an' his broad!" The second the word "broad" escaped the greaser's mouth, Beatrice's eyebrows shot up as though he'd offered her a cup of chicken blood while Earnest stepped slightly away from her and the fat kid burst out laughing, stopping only when Earnest shot him an "If you don't stop laughing now I'll cut your balls off with a wooden spoon and put it on the internet" look. Johnny sounded like he wanted to laugh too when he shouted back.  
"Earnest has a broad? When the hell did _that_ happen!"  
"I am _not_ his broad!" the girl shouted past me, redder than the bright, neon candy spray the fat boy had poking out of his pocket.  
"Why are they here?" the greaser king shouted back.  
"They want to speak to you"  
"Why?"  
"Ask them yourself!" Peanut yelled, throat starting to get sore from shouting. About two seconds later, Johnny appeared by the door, his hair a mess from running his hands through it.  
"Well then. What do you want?" The broad took a step forward, taking a deep breath as she dared to look up.  
"We um... we wanted your help." she stated. "We wanted to know if you'd help us get back at some preps?" Johnny looked thoughtful for a second, staring at the skinny girl addressing him.  
"What's in it for us?" he asked, not breaking eye contact with the girl. Stupified, Peanut stared at his friend. What the hell did he mean, "what's in it for us"? She was dangling an opportunity to beat rich scum in their faces. Without consequence. Regardless, the broad whispered something to her friends before turning back to Johnny.  
"I'll do your homework for a week."  
"Don't do it anyway." he answered, not skipping a beat. Knowing she'd have to do better than that, the girl stared at the floor.  
"Fine. I'll clean the tenements." Shit! Peanut thought. They must have done _something_ if she was willing to clear this mess! Johnny considered this for a minute, before responding "Thanks, but no thanks". This went on for a while, with her offering to buy new parts for the bikes, getting him Derby's locker combination and even offering him one of their spare rocket launchers, leaving Peanut wondering how the hell she got hold of those things. Eventually, she gave up before simply looking him dead in the eye and asking "Well, what _do_ you want?"

Within a second, Johnny's face clouded over, and Peanut knew what he was about to ask for.  
"Lola" He whispered it revently, more like it was some amazing, ethereal being than his girl's name. Rolling his eyes, Peanut nearly strangled his friend. A rocket launcher. Johnny turned down a rocket launcher for that!  
"What about her?" Beatrice asked quietly. Johnny's expression darkened as he answered.  
"That slut's cheating on me- I know she is! I can't believe this- I'm dying over that slut! That slut I love so much..." Oh, for fuck's sake, Peanut wanted to say. Not this again.  
"So ... you want me to find out if she's cheating on you?" Beatrice clarified, a note of sympathy in her voice. Jimmy had been with Lola once or twice- her and any other girl in a mile's radius.  
"Yes. I need proof, one way or another. I'm going crazy here!" Johnny continued, not noticing the tiny bit of pity in Beatrice's tone or his friend's exasperation.

Beatrice looked uncertainly at Melvin, who nodded , she put her hand out. Almost immediately, Johnny grabbed it, shaking it quickly.  
"Fine." the broad promised. "I'll do it ."


	9. Chapter 8 Options

Hiya ! Finally, someone was lovely enough to review , so thank you very much Amanda.

Italics are thoughts or notes.

Disclaimer :I don't own any of the characters or any aspect of the game . However , I wish I did , because that would be a fantastic thing to drop into a conversation.

Chapter 8 - Options

Beatrice's POV

_Beatrice Trudeau , you are a complete and utter idiot_. I scolded myself as I sat down for Biology . _Of all the stupid things you could have done , this is probably the worst - and that's including the phase you had a crush on Jimmy (never again)_ .

"Anyway , there are two sides of biology that you must explore ; life... and death ."Dr Slawter droned on . Today we will be looking at the dissection of plants. You will be partnered in alphabetical order, so Algie and Angie, Beatrice and Bif

_Crap_

We stood in awkward silence for a few minutes

"So ..."  
_If you think I'm having a civil conversation with you , you have another thing coming._  
"I heard about your friend . Is he alright?"  
_of course he's not all right you inbred, drunken , vile twit! You knocked him unconscious!_  
"When is he getting out of hospital?"  
_Bif , if you value your testicles or your life, I'd get as far away as possible while I have access to this scalpel ._  
"Did he say who was responsible?"  
_If Dr Slawter wasn't watching me , I swear ._  
"OK , so you don't want to talk about it...."  
_That said , Dr Slawter is usually happier to see a body than an undertaker would be .Perhaps he wouldn't mind if I ..._  
"Anyway ,how are you?"  
Eventually he gave up, leaving me to think about how I was going to fulfill my side of the bargain with the a few minutes, I decided that these were my options:

_1 Check her locker ._  
_Pro - No one need ever know ._  
_Con - I have no idea which is Lola's , or what her combination is._

_2 Steal her diary. _  
_Pro - Reliable ._  
_Con - difficult job putting it back - will probably get killed._

_3 Full blown stalking , complete with camera _  
_Pro - ..._  
_Con - will almost definitely get caught , which means being killed_

_4 Slip her a note from random boy ,asking to meet up . Tell Johnny location of meeting _  
_Pro - Johnny will have complete certainty _  
_Con - Risk harming random boy (mental note - If nothing else works, make sure that the random boy is Bif , Tad or Bryce)._

_5 Ask her _  
_Pro - So ridiculously mad it might work _  
_Con - So ridiculously mad it probably won't work and I will be killed by Lola and her army of boyfriends ._

_6 Ask Christy _  
_Pro - Will probably get an answer _  
_Con - Answer will be very far off , and will probably include at least a love octagon and a murder by the time I get to her._

_Beatrice , what have you got yourself into?_

I know this chapter is quite short , but I'll do my best to make the next a bit longer . If anyone has any preference of which plan Beatrice should try first (I haven't decided yet) , please tell me either by review or by sending me a message .

Anyway , how was it? Please review if you have the time .


	10. Chapter 9 Locker

Hiya! I'm starting to get a few reviews for this , so thanks to the lovely people who have done. Also , for a change , I thought I'd write a teeny tiny bit as Lola .

Italics are thoughts and notes as always.

Disclaimer : If I owned this , Bully 2 would be out by now . Sadly , I don't , so we have to wait .

Chapter 9 - Locker

Cornelius' POV

The sunlight bounced through the windows and off the lockers ,giving the hallway a warm the school bell screamed "Freedom" , the thud of school shoes echoed through the corridors .The putrid stench of Edna's chicken and ketchup had finally left the air ,the gentle breeze outside carrying in the perfume of the pink flowers from outside the girls dorm (which would be lovely ,were it not for my hayfever - I looked worse than Edna with a hangover!).After a while, the noise vanished,leaving us to get to work.

"Remind me again why we're doing this?" I groaned to Beatrice after forty five minutes of trying random codes .  
"Bucky .What have we tried so far?"  
"I lost count at about thirty." I said jokingly , nearly dying of laughter when I looked at her incredulous face.  
"Please don't try that again .My sanity's dangling by a thread as it is" she pleaded, spelling the combinations as she tried them.  
"Nope . There'd better be something in here !"  
"Have you tried 'Lola'?"  
"First one I did - No such luck. One second ....L....I....P...S....damn!"

_This was going to take a while._

Lola's POV

_Lipstick .Check ._  
_Stillettos . Check ._  
_Hair styled to perfection . Check ._

_"Molly Ringwald , eat your heart out"_

I flashed a sultry grin at my reflection, admiring my new silky, ruby red top (_dating preps had its 'up' side_) which matched my lipstick exactly .If Tad thought I looked as good as I did , I could basically guarentee I would get that gorgeous new bag I'd seen . "_After all , I'm easily worth a couple grand ; that's basically pocket change for him" _I thought to myself,smoothing my top and checking my hair from every angle ,before checking my purse a final time .

_Phone . Check ._  
_Perfume . Check  
Keys....Shit._

I gazed outside as the warm amber glow of the early evening beckoned me .The prefects were never on duty on Saturdays, so there was no danger of getting caught .I grabbed my bag , checked my make up one last time , and headed to my locker...

Beatrice's POV

"While we're still young enough to be at school , please Beatrice... "  
"Don't exagerate ; we're bound to get it soon."  
_"At least I hope so" _I prayed silently , trying yet another code "X .....Y ..... Yes!" I heard the most glorious click as the locker finally opened, before jumping and consequently tripping as I came back down to the floor, hitting the ground with a thud.  
"Ouch !I ..."  
"Shut up!" Cornelius ordered , his voice a note or two higher than normal."Did you hear that?". The click-clack of heeled feet rushed towards us, a feminine voice humming a 50s tune.  
"Crap. Run!" Cornelius mouthed , grabbing my arm as he ran ,me stumbling a few feet behind .

Lola's POV

"What the hell ?"

My locker door creaked as it swung wide open on its hinge , a clatter of far off footsteps battering the freshly mopped floor.

"_Bloody first years _" I groaned silently as I grabbed the keys from the left of the photo from mine and Johnny's anniversary ; his arm around me in the playground,Tad throwing him a look that suggested he was imagining something gruesome involving chainsaws to do to Johnny

_Shit , I hope Johnny doesn't find out about this._

Beatrice's POV

"That ... was way too close" I gasped as we stumbled out of the building.  
"Too right ." Corneilius concurred , re-adjusting his glasses. "How the hell did we get away with that?"  
"You're asking the wrong person ... fifty flipping minutes of codes and that happens!" I shouted , picturing how Lola's army of men would have tried to kill us if we'd been caught .Having finally composed himself , my friend looked at me  
"Plan B?"  
"Definitely." I replied ,before dawdling off to my dorm .


	11. Chapter 10 Diary

Hiya !

I hope that everyone liked the last to anyone who reviewed or added this to their favourites .

Anyway italic are thoughts or notes .

Disclaimer : Bully isn't mine .

Chapter 10 - Diary

Earnest's POV

Bucky wasn't out yet.

He wasn't far off ; the violet bruises that had tarnished his skin had faded to nothingness, the glass was gone from his wounds , and the doctor told us that his ribs were nearly healed - but he still had a while to go before he was back to normal.

We told him last night ;about what we were planning ,about the bargain with Johnny ; about how Beatrice was going through hell to find evidence .Luckily for us , he was still on a little bit of morphine - otherwise he may have exploded.  
"I guess there's not much I can do to stop you guys now ,is there? Just please be careful."

_Judging from Cornelius' recollection ,we seemed to be having a problem with that._  
"So what happens now ?" I asked Corneilius after he finished explaining what had happened, half dreading the response.

Before he had chance to answer , a certain gangly girl ran into the room , tripping over a shoelace and staggering a few steps, her arms streched out and flailing madly in a demented dance before she regained balance . Her dark blonde hair had escaped its pink ribbon and fell softly about her flushed face ; Her eyes flashed with mischevious delight like Edna's did whenever she's done something horrible to Hattrick's food _( i.e. every day up until he got fired )_ and her braces glinted in her triumphant smile .

"I've got it - I've got it ! " She giggled ,sounding like my mum does when she's had far too much too drink (_although Beatrice wasn't dancing on the table or singing 'I like to move it ,move it ' off key -that is the last time I let her have her friends round at the same time as our grottos and gremlins meetings)._She held her trophy in the air ; a small , black book with pieces of paper poking out . After having to yank her fingers off it , I opened it at a random page.

_Tad's been quite excitable lately . I wonder if he's keen enough for me to ask for a present yet - after all , he seemed quite keen on me when we were together yesterday and he tried to put his hand ..._

_Yep - this was Lola's diary._

"Beatrice , how did you get this?" Melvin inquired .  
"She was on a date , so I managed to sneak back to the dorms and get it." Beatrice beamed , victory singing in her voice ."I can't believe I managed it!" .For some reason , Thad felt the need to start clapping , which was echoed by Melvin and Algie until Beatrice's cheeks nearly burned off . I laid Beatrice's prize reverently on the table, flipping open the first page ...

_13th December_

_"Johnny's broke up with me again ,or tried to - it's amazing what a little bit of flirting can do .He found out about Gord , who's now in Harrington House recovering - Christy swears that Tad says he actually heard Gord's pelvis crack."_

A few of the boys visibly winced as I read the page out.

_"1st January_

_Hiya ! I can't believe the years gone by so fast , especially considering I have to share with that preppy bitch !Seriously , she has the nerve to call me a slut !At least I'm not shagging my cousins !_

_Anyway_

_New Year's Resolution_

_Have a smart boyfriend,  
Have a rich boyfriend ,  
Don't let Johnny find out about either of them  
Maintain status as school sex symbol and queen of the greasers , or get better status ._

_"And Pinky's a bitch?" Cornelius commented ._  
"Only around Lola - the insults they give each other are first class" Beatrice remarked .

_14th February_

_Broke my record today - 23 valentine's cards ! Johnny's taking me out tonight , so I've had to rescheduel my date with Tad .So many boys......so little time._

"Bugger - how many boys doeth thith girl date?" Thad asked , jaw practically on the floor .  
"At least three - two of them keep waking me and Mandy up in the night by knocking on the wrong window" Beatrice recollected.

_9th June_

_The school broke out into a mass brawl today. For some reason , Johnny decided to trash the girls' dorms . There's a huge message on the wall saying "Johnny and Lola forever" in green paint._

_Luckily , Hopkins cleared things up . He's pretty cute for a bald, short kid ._

"What is it with Hopkins?" Melvin asked , looking not very subtly at Beatrice .  
"Melvin it was one kiss , and it wasn't even a proper kiss - we barely even touched. Besides , I'm over it , it wasn't just me ." For some reason , Corneilius got a bit jumpy at this point, asking if there was anything more recent.I flicked through before snapping the book shut.  
"Nope - she hasn't wrote a word for four months."  
"And we're back to square 's next on the list."  
"Stalking ,but I value my life enough not to go on my own and I imagine you guys value your balls to much to come, so onto number 4."  
"... Which is...?"  
"We set up a date between Lola and some random guy . Then , we tell Johnny the location and time."  
"Sounds good , but who are we setting Lola up with."  
"Well hello there , dear nerds ." a faux english accent disturbed me and my fellow conspirators ."Listen , me and the chaps have a spot of homework to do The problem is I have a date tonight ,so I need one of you to do it for me" . He spoke slowly , like you would to a small child or how he probably talked to his servants at home.  
"Well ,I'm afraid I just don't know if we can , especially after ..." Thankfully , Thad clamped his hand over Beatrice'smouth before she had chance to say any more.  
"That will be fine , amigo," I stated ,trying to keep the manic grin off my face.  
"Smashing ,Earnest. Oh , and before I forget - Beatrice , Bif wants a word with you ." At this , he swaggered off in a grand fashion.

Once he had gone , Beatrice yanked Thad's hand off her mouth.  
"What did you say to Bif?" I demanded , was moaning about yesterday - maybe she let her mouth get the better of her.  
"Nothing - I didn't trust myself , so I kept quiet when we were paired ." Beatrice insisted.  
"Then why would -oh never mind .Onto more important matters, I believe we have the perfect candidate" Melvin smiled as he gestured towards the door Tad had just dissapeared through.


	12. Chapter 11 Organising

**Hiya! Thanks to any of the people who are reading . If anyone has a particular character they'd like a POV from in this , let me know and I'll give it a go. I thought I'd have a go writing as Johnny and Bif, so hopefully it won't be too OOC.**

**Disclaimer : I am painfully aware that I don't own this .**

**Chapter 11 - Organising**

**Melvin's POV**

"Hurry up , Melvin - I need to put it back!"  
"Patience is a virtue" I snapped as I delicately replicated Lola's curving , flowery handwriting,wondering why the hell she needed to dot her i with a smiling face .  
"Don't say that - it's what people say when they're going to take an hour on something!" my friend shrieked .  
"What's the worst she's going to do to you ,anyway?"  
"You have no idea ... " Beatrice replied darkly as I finished the note.  
"There - how's that?" I asked as she scanned my note.  
"Perfect ." she smiled, tucking it into her pocket . "I'm getting my braces off this afternoon , so I'll give this to Tad on my way back - could you get the other one to Lola, please ?"  
"Sure - are you looking forward to getting rid of them?"  
"Utterly . Thanks so much. I promise you that when all this is over , I'll buy you a new role-playing game." she offered." Do you remember the code?"  
"Yep- only Lola is pretentious enough to have 'sexy' as her combination." Beatrice giggled a bit before looking at the clock.  
"Damn- noon already. I have to go. Bye." she shouted as she ran off. I looked down at the other note , picking it up carefully .Smiling , I straightened up a bit as I walked to the lockers.

_Tad, consider this payback._

**Johnny's POV**

The freshly-fixed engine purred as I turned it on .  
_"Perfect"_ I smiled to myself ; perfect like a bruise on a trust fund brat's face; perfect like the effortless tunes floating around the room with fluid smoothness .

_Perfect like her..._

My peaceful mood was crushed the moment she entered my head. Lola. The girl who made me laugh without even trying. The girl who purred loving words to me with such eagerness I couldn't help but believe her. I loved her more than anything; she was my oxygen,my water ... my woman. Nothing was too much trouble if it was for her- she had everything I could give her.

And how did she repay me? By cheating, lying, whoring herself out like she was worth nothing better.

I tried so often to end it, I really did- but every time I did she said those words I wanted to hear, and every time I was dumb enough to listen. I could never understand how one look could compel me to take her back, how a few whispered words could have me on my knees , pleading for forgiveness. _Bitch_. As the red mist descended, I rammed my fist into the wall, immediately regretting it as pain seared, a drop or two of ruby blood staining the floor.

"Hello?" a soft soprano voice called before I could begin a post pain swearing rant. I spun round to see my visitor, praying it was Lola. No such luck.  
"Sorry , are you busy? I can come back later ..."  
"Now is fine." I answered, trying to ignore the pain in my knuckle."It's... Beatrice, isn't it?"  
"Yes. Anyway, me and the other nerds have sent some notes out and we have a plan in action- long story short, you need to meet us at the Bridge at eight o'clock tomorrow night. Can you do that?"  
"Yep. Why?"  
"Like I said, kind of a long story. I 'll explain tomorrow. What happened to your hand?" she asked , wincing at the dried blood on my knuckles.  
"I... I kind of punched a wall." I looked down at the floor, realising how dumb I sounded. _She probably thinks I'm an idiot. Lola probably does too- she treats me like one, the slut!_

Oddly enough, the nerd broad didn't snicker at my confession, preferring to silently pass me a clean, white rag from the bench. I grabbed it, muttering "thanks" just loud enough for her to hear.  
"It's nothing. You might want to get it looked at, though- I'm surprised you're not in more pain." she advised, the tiniest hint of concern in her voice (perhaps she was worried I wouldn't be able to punch those trust-fund turds with a cast). With that, she walked off, mumbling "bye" at a barely audible volume.

I walked over to one of the bikes to start tweaking it , needing to think of anything but Lola.

**Bif's POV**

The warm fire cackled as it burnt the roof of the fireplace. The mahogany grandfather clock shouted out to indicate it was four o'clock. An impatient knock on the door echoed through towards me and Derby who stayed silent besides occasionally mumbling "checkmate".  
"That will be the pizza I ordered," Derby assumed ,knocking my queen over before he walked down the corridor.  
"Beatrice, what an unexpected surprise". Surprised, I wandered to the door.  
_"She's been dodging me like a blasted grenade for days, so what the hell is she doing here?"_ I wondered._"Maybe she knows about... no, Bucky wouldn't tell anyone."_  
"Hello...um, is Spencer here?" she asked , blue eyes staring at Derby .  
"He's in the shower at the moment... his homework ready?"  
"Nearly, but that's not why I'm here."  
"Of course, how rude of me- come in. Bif, get Beatrice a brandy or something."  
"That won't be necessary thank you- I'm not here on a social call." she said, still refusing to acknowledge me as she reached into the pocket of her green dress, pulling out a small piece of paper. "Could you please tell him that this is from Lola?" she requested, holding the paper out. Derby grabbed the note from her. Smiling for the first time, she ran off, nearly tripping over a few times.

A few minutes later, Tad floated down the staircase, dressed immaculately in Aquaberry(as always).  
"Who was that?" he enquired .  
"That nerd girl- she left a note from Lola for you." Derby answered , holding the note out. Tad snatched the note like a greedy child , breaking into a huge grin as he read it.  
"It would seem ,gentlemen," he boasted, "that I have a date tomorrow night."

**Beatrice's POV**

So there I was- still alive, remarkably. In the last few days, I had broken into a locker, nearly got killed when I got frighteningly close to being caught breaking into the aforementioned locker, stole a diary and arranged a trap for a slut(which would result in me getting killed). Now came the really hard bit- putting the diary back.

_Did I mention I was going to get killed?_


	13. Chapter 12 Bridge

Hiya !

I know this is a bit of a short chapter, but I've been up to my eyeballs in coursework at the moment so I haven't had much time.

Italics are notes and thoughts as always.

Disclaimer : I swear I don't own this .

Chapter 12 - Bridge

Lola's POV

_Darling ,_

_Meet me at the bridge at eight pm tonight_

_Tad_

My mouth twitched into a smile as I read the note for the second time .Notes like these were getting more and more frequent _(although they weren't necessarily all from Tad - what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him_) .I stood up and sashayed over to mine and Pinky's shared wardrobe _(you'd think she'd get a bit of priviledge being a prep .Honestly , I'd sooner share with Eunice !)_ .After thirty minutes ,I eventually decided on a stappy black dress that left little to the imagination ,pairing it with a pair of Pinky's best black stilettos .It's not like she's ever going to find out I smirked before picking up a blood red lipstick , expertly applying it within twenty seconds .As I moved onto eyeliner , I couldn't help but wonder how Tad found my locker .

_"Perhaps he's been paying more attention than I thought"_ I theorised,moving onto straigteners to finish the effect . Not long after the clock struck seven, I grabbed my leather jacket , careful not to mess up my chocolate brown hair . I looked at the clock ; twenty minutes past - unless I wanted to look desperate , I'd have to wait for half an hour at least.

My perfectly made up eyes rolled about the room , taking in the pink flowery wallpaper , the warm ,welcoming beds which that old prude Mrs "All boys are evil and out to steal your innocence!" Peabody insisted we made every morning , the black book on my bed .

_What the hell? _I could swear I didn't put it there .I eyed the tiny book of secrets suspiciously .

_If Pinky had touched it , I swear ...._

Beatrice's POV

_Where is he?_

I looked at the silver watch Bucky had given me last Christmas . Raising my head to the dark clouds drifting through the amber sky , I began to wish I'd brought something warmer than I thin ,long sleeved shirt I was wearing .The road was practically abandoned until a bike skidded to a stop mere centimetres away from me . Instinctively , I reached for my spray , which Thad insisted I took with me.  
"Sorry." he said , noticing my presumably shocked expression .  
"It's fine ... I'm guessing you want to know why I asked you here?" I offered.  
"It's Lola ,isn't it?" He sighed , his posture drooping at what he had presumably already guessed."What did you find out?" he continued, looking unsure whether he wanted to cry or punch something . I took a deep breath , I started to tell him about the lockers ,which led on to the diary , then the date we'd set greaser stared at me like I collected dismembered body parts .  
"You did all that to get someone beaten up?" he questioned ,his jaw essentially on the pavement .  
"Trust me , if you'd seen what that scum did to Bucky ,you'd understand ; I thought they'd murdered him when I first looked. You'd probably do the same if it was your friend left bleeding on the pavement."I added defensively .

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a girl wearing the kind of dress that men asked "How much for a shag?" when they saw. Immediately , I grabbed Johnny's arm, pulling him back gently a few steps away from the streetlight in the hope of going unnoticed in the cloak of darkness.  
"She's here." I interupted before Johnny could start his sentence .Johnny turned his head in the direction of "his" on cue , Tad strolled towards her ,placing an arm around her waist and a hand lovingly on her cheek . Despite the darkness , I could swear I saw Johnny's fists clench like they were itching to punch something .

Here we go....


	14. Chapter 13 Caught

Hiya! Just so you know before hand , there will be violence in this chapter .Thanks to the people reading this , especially those reviewing .

Disclaimer : We are all painfully aware that I do not own Bully or its character .

Chapter 13 - Caught

Johnny's POV

_That slut._

_How could she do this?How dare she do this? How could she let that freak put his filthy , inbred hands on her like that - the right to touch her like that was meant to be mine , and mine alone._

_"Push him off you .Please get him off you"_ I pleaded silently .

Despite my silent prayers, she did nothing - well , not nothing as such .Lola's manicured hands made their way into Spencer's hair , her full ,red ,traitorous lips crashing passionately onto his .After what seemed like an eternity, their lips parted .Hand in hand ,they began to walk on , fading away into the night like a horrible nightmare .

_Except there was no waking up from this ._

Feet working quicker than my brain , I bounded forward .

Beatrice's POV

I ran after Johnny , completely forgetting the bike . Somehow keeping up with him (nerds aren't designed for speed) ,I eventually ended up just outside an alley, having the good sense to stay close to the wall ,resisting the urge to watch Spencer get his comeupence purely because there was still enough unbroken street lamps for him or Lola to recognise me. I heard the words "Get your paws off her! " , the response of "Make me ,pauper! " , Lola mentioning something about someone called Troy (how does she find time to see all these boys?) at some point ,along with several groans of pain _(not all of which were the prep's , sadly_) , various obscenities and I think someone may have been snoring . After about five minutes , I heard an overly affectionate comment from Lola about Johnny being "beasteale" (excuse me while I throw up in my mouth ) , quickly followed by "It's over , you tramp!" .About two seconds later , Johnny emerged from the alley , the few cuts and swollen eye making him look like one of the sinister masks you can buy for Halloween ,the injuries exxagerated by the dim street lights . A strangely serene expression on his face and a groan from the alleyway prooved who had won the fight .Unable to help myself , I peeked into the alleyway from behind the wall ;Lola was helping a suffering Spencer to his feet , not responding to his complaints about the "pauper" or the pain . Without warning , Lola looked up , shrieking as she made eye contact with me .

_This is not good_ I commented internally , taking the scream as my cue to run as fast as my legs would carry me in the hopes she hadn't got a good enough glimpse to recognise me .Thankfully , her newly ex-boyfriend was still within sight, so I rushed towards him since I had absolutely no clue where I was . By some strange miracle, I caught up somewhere back near the bridge .

Johnny didn't seem to notice me as he sat down by the road , his head in his hands . He was visibly shaking ,huge heaving sobs escaping his mouth . Now anyone else would have done something -anything . But , I'm not anyone else ; I'm Beatrice , the single most tactless person in Bullworth .Taking this knowledge into account , I decided to do what my gran had been telling me for years - "When in doubt , keep your bloody mouth shut!" . So I did just that ,allowing the broken man in front of me some space .

Johnny's POV

After a few minutes of crying to the point where I thought my lungs would drop out , I stood up ,my face aching from the fight . Suddenly , realising the nerd girl was still here, I froze .

_Well , this is brilliant . Is there even a word to explain how awkward this is ? _

_"Fuck" _I muttered._ It would seem there is._  
"Indeed." The girl mumbled sheepishly , looking at her shoes ."Um...I guess this means my part of the deal is done ,then?". _Deal? Oh yeah , of course._  
"Guess so." I replied . Her face relaxed slightly , still maintaining an air of concern . She winced slightly looking at me .  
"Any ideas on how to explain the eye?" she asked .  
"Well ..." _Shit .This would take some excuse ._ "Any ideas?"  
"Um... you could say you got into a drunk tried to fight you. To be fair , it's pretty much the truth"  
"I guess that'll do . And if Crabblesnitch asks?"  
"Say a prep beat you up .Trust me on this - he'll ignore it."  
"You sure?"  
"How do you think this happened ?" she pointed out.  
"Fair point."

The awkward silence hung in the air like a bad smell .I looked at the bike, which was remarkably still where I'd left it without a lock or anything to prevent it being stolen.I looked at Beatrice , who was fiddling absent-mindedly with the candy spray the nerds always seemed to have with them .  
"Want a lift back to Bullworth?" I asked , realising that the girl had probably ran half the night .She hesitated,looking round as though she expected Christy to pop out from behind some bushes .  
"Yes please" she smiled gratefully ,carefully getting on the back of the bike .

We rode back to school in silence , the night air snapping at us .  
"I...I'm sorry about Lola."she apologised , her soft voice making her sound like a guilty child.  
"It's fine." I lied ,not want to pour my heart out in front of the nerd _(again)_ ."When do you want me to get the other two?" I inquired , desperate to escape the subject . She paused for a second , contemplating my question .  
"Whenever you get the opportunity ,I suppose .Just please make them suffer for what they did to Bucky." she decided , reffering to "them" as though it left a disgusting taste in their mouth.  
"Fine . By the way , thanks Beatrice." .She nodded in acknowledgement before vanishing into the gates .

When I jumped off the bike , something scarlett glinted off the floor . Curious , I picked up the spray , recognising it instantly .  
_I'll give it back in the morning_ I decided. _In the mean time , I need to get to the dorms before someone realises I was gone ._

Mandy's POV

I woke deadly silence of the night was interuptted by the shuffling of trainers as a slim silohette made it's way to one of the beds .As soon as the light switch revealed the shadow's identity , her face went pinker than the floral wallpaper.

"Well ,well , well Beatrice" I smirked . "What have you been up to?"


	15. Chapter 14 Busted

Hello everyone! Thanks to anyone reading this . If anyone has a preference for how Johnny will help the nerds get back at Bif and Bryce , please let me know because I'd rather have a bit of variation than simply beat them both up . Also , I haven't decided on a perspective for the next chapter , so if anyone has a favourite character, please tell me and I will try to include them .Otherwise the next chapter will probably be wrote as Lola or Johnny .

Thank you to any of the people kind enough to review.

Italics are thoughts and notes .

Disclaimer : We all know that I don't own this.

Chapter 14 - Busted

Lola's POV

Tad whined nonstop as we walked back to school .  
"Honestly darling , that greaseball is vicious!Why on Earth do you hang about with those paupers? " I nearly slapped the man to shut him up - he repeated himself more than a broken record on the way back .The beating wasn't even that bad , nowhere near as bad as it could have been - he was lucky Johnny didn't bring the boys .However , telling men to pull themselves together and grow some balls does not make them like you enough to give you something other than - you get that from being nice. And I'm nice to everyone - even web toed (although he always stresses it only on one foot) , cousin kissing preps .

Fortunately , once we had to go our seperate ways , he shut up long enough for a very quick kiss .And why not? For now ,at least I was a free agent , although that wouldn't last long - Johnny had always been prone to persuasion , especially from me . I strolled back to the dorms , asking myself who it was who saw me with Tad in the alleyway .I was positive I recognised him ,although I wasn't sure where from .

Wait , was it a him? It was a very scrawny boy, assuming it was a I'm sure I saw long hair .Maybe that townie girl - she hangs around there. I considered , pulling my long , dull pjamas on .Maybe Tad would buy me some aquaberry ones I conteplated as I lay in bed , not even bothering to wipe my make up off before closing my eyes.

Mandy's POV

"Well ,my ugly friend - where were you ?" . The nerd kept her eyes away from me , preffering to flop onto her bed in pretend exhaustion ,curling up into a fetal position . Honestly ,didn't she know me better than that ?

Once a few pillows hit her ,she sat back up with a satisfyingly annoyed face . Why won't she tell me? She's usually so pathetically gullible . Then it clicked that wherever she'd been , her nerd uniform wasn't good enough for it .

"You were with a boy , weren't you? Who was it ? Algie? Tell me his name ,spotty ,or I'll have to tell Mrs Peabody." I threatened . Perfect - Beatrice would curl up and die if the dried up prune gave her the "holding hands with a boy makes you get pregnant , die and burn in hell for all eternity " talk she gives us whenever boys are concerned.

Remarkably , Beatrice didn't bat an eyelash .What? That threat always works with Pinky!  
"I highly doubt that she would care about that if I were to let her know about your 'stomach problems' . Or perhaps she'd be more intrigued should she discover what you've been up to with Ted? Did you know you talk in your sleep?"

No I don't ! Do I ? Sweet Jesus , please say I don't , or else she might know about - Oh God , I hope she doesn't know about that!

"You wouldn't , Beatrice!" I whispered .  
"Are you sure about that or would you like a second opinion? I could ask Christy what she thinks if you like ..."  
No - anything but that !  
"Goodnight , Beatrice." I muttered in defeat , tempted to tape my mouth before clambering back to bed . She smiled triumphantly "Goodnight Mandy." she smiled as the lights flickered off . 


	16. Chapter 15 Back

Hiya! Thanks to anyone reading this , especially those reviewing (thanks Amanda)

Italics are thoughts.

Disclaimer : I don't think I need to explain that I don't own this , however much I want to .

Chapter 15 - Back

Bucky's POV

The frosted breeze blew up my cast , giving some welcome relief from the insufferable heat I'd had to put up with for almost two weeks while the emerald grass shivered . The part of the sun not obscured by the the thick ,heavy clouds. The familiar door of the library beckoned to me .

_I was back ._

The second I walked into the library ,a sea of astronomy club uniforms flooded me and fourteen arms attempted to wrap around me .Since I'm what is commonly known as a "beanpole" , this failed miserably . Alternatively , my friends resolved to take turns squeezing the life out of me . Last on the list was Beatrice , who refused to let go for ten minutes .  
"Beatrice ... I missed you guys too ... but I can't ... breathe" I rasped .Immediately she put her arms back by her sides , still smiling more than Edna the day after she went for coffee with Dr Watts _(poor man - he refuses to talk about what happened that night) ._  
"Sorry ,Bucky ." she grinned manically ,before flinging her arms around me again with a bit more care ."I was so worried. Did Melvin give you the chocolates last night? Were they feeding you well? How are your ribs?"  
"One question at a time ! I'm fine - a bit sore but fine .What's been happening in my absence?."

The tale that ensued lasted at least an hour ,with each of my fellow nerd's giving a seperate view ; Melvin almost burst out laughing when he told us about Beatrice being branded "Earnest's broad" _(although Beatrice's various threats of mutilating his unmentionables shut him up)_during the negotiation with the greasers , Cornelius told the locker cracking event as though it were an epic monologue ,Earnest gave an insightful view of Lola Lombardi's diary_ (there goes my innocence)_ and finally , Beatrice went into detail about the Tad's date/beating .

"You guys have all the fun ." I groaned .  
"You're quite welcome to help , amigo." Earnest offered , a slightly evil expression on his face . I briefly considered it ;_ making Montrose, Taylor and Spencer squirm like the vermin they were did sound very tempting indeed ._  
"Well ... now that you mention it ... why let you guys have all the fun?" . Earnest's conspiratorial grin spread quicker than electrons through a circuit .

Peanut's POV

"So , I hear your friend's back at school." Bif commented to the nerd girl who was unfortunate enough to be paired with him . She either didn't hear or didn't want to , since she kept silent ,lovingly tipping a clear liquid into the beaker as though it would explode with one wrong movement _( to be fair to her it probably would ; Watts gave us all sorts of stuff to test )_ . I couldn't help but smile at the dismay of Bif's face ; he was probably used to being listened to and worshipped .  
"How is he?" he persisted without progress, unless you want to count the filthy look she threw at him whenever his face turned or her fists clenching to the point where she nearly smashed the vial she was holding whenever he mentioned her friend . He continued having a completely one sided conversation with the nerd until I decided that if he didn't get the message soon I would personally staple something to him -_ preferably something flammable_ .

When he began to drone on about Aquaberry , I decided to save the poor girl .  
"Excuse me , lady ?" I asked , hoping I'd get more of a response than the trust fund brat did .  
"What do you want , pauper ?" Bif sneered before she had chance to respond. "I don't think she cares about bikes and I highly doubt she's had Lola , so run along to your garage or whatever it is poor people do ." Resisting the urge to slap him into another era, I turned my attention back to my experiment , which was going a worrying shade of green as opposed to the blue one the girl was tending to with more care than most would a new born baby .

A few minutes later , someone nudged me quickly , irritating an old bruise I had from a few days beforehand _(preps - need I say more?)._  
"Watch it !" I said sharply , rubbing my arm .  
"Oh ... sorry . I just thought I should apologise about Taylor." she explained softly , despite the venom in the word 'Taylor' .  
"It wasn't you acting like a turd , lady . It's fine . Anyway , Johnny asked me to let you know you left something last night - he'll be at the autoshop if you want it back ." . She looked a bit puzzled , realisation hitting her face as she checked her green pockets .  
"Oh that ... um , if you see him before I do , will you tell him not to taste it , please ? I know it sound strange but ..."  
"Not a problem . And one last thing ..." I ventured , hoping I wouldn't get the answer I expected . "If the solution thing you have is blue , then what the hell have I made?" . Her face went greener than her dress when she looked at my assignment .  
"Put it this way ; if he asks you to set it alight , don't do it . It'll go through in the roof , not to mention us ." she warned .  
"Right." _Maybe I could throw it at Bif , the aquaberry wearing , cousin fu..._  
"So , my girl , have you found out who Pasteur got on the wrong side of ?" he went on pompously , not able to grasp the concept of people not wanting to talk to trust fund brats . In response , she whipped off her thick glasses, took one look at his assignment and stepped back a few steps as she put them back on , going paler than Watts every time he sees Edna . Dr Watts bounced over _(too many lab fumes again would be my guess - let's just hope he doesn't agree to meet the lunch lady again .)_ to them with a lit splint in his hand .

Only then did I realise that Taylor's liquid was the same shade as mine ...

I have never seen a substitute teacher madder than the one glaring at the prep through the hole in the ceiling .


	17. Chapter 16 Lola

**Hiya ! I hope everyone's enjoying the story . By the way , I'm planning on having a halloween chapter ,so if anyone has an idea of costumes for the nerds or the greasers ,please let me know , because knowing me they'll end up in something daft and no one wants that .**

**Thanks to anyone reading or reviewing.**

**Italics are thoughts.**

**Disclaimer : I promise I don't own Bully.**

**Chapter 16 - Lola**

**Johnny's POV**

"So Taylor seriously blew up the chemistry room?" I checked , trying not to laugh too much. My lieutenant nodded.  
"Yup . Watts' face was priceless. I nearly did too, but one of the nerds warned me . Speaking of which, she says she'll be down for her stuff soon- she asked me to tell you not to taste it." he added. For some reason, I suddenly heard the spray calling to me, squealing 'try me, try me!'.  
"Ok... did she say why?"  
"Nope. Any ideas how we're getting the other two?"  
"Too many... if I told you most of them, I'd get thrown back in Happy Volts." I commented, making a mental note not to suggest anything with a chainsaw involved."How's the bike going ,anyway?"  
"Great. I'm getting some new parts today..."

The bike talk went on for a few hours before we were disturbed by a bang. The doorway opened to reveal a scrawny boy with a cast and the nerd girl, her frail fist still in mid knock. Awkwardly, she tucked a few imaginary strands of dark blonde hair behind her ear.  
"You're not busy, are you? I can come and get my spray later..." she started.  
"Nah, it's fine. I'm guessing this is Bucky." I gestured to the guy with her(the skinny nerds all looked the same), whose various graffiti on his cast included formulas and the words "friends for all time" along with a list of the nerds, each name with an unforgiving caricature.  
"Yep- that would be me." he smiled, holding out his good hand for me to shake. "Thanks, by the way- Beatrice told me everything. Anyway, I've got homework. See you later " he smiled, rushing off, his shoes slapping the floor.  
"Everything?" I asked, hoping that no one knew I spilled my guts out on the pavement. She shook her head. Relieved, I rooted about in my jeans pocket for the lost item.  
"There you go. Why was it so important I didn't taste it?" I wondered aloud. At this, she looked around secretively, as though she half believed that Peabody would catch her at any moment.  
"It's pepper spray." she admitted, smiling gently at Peanut's "I'd best not mess with her" face. "Thad insisted." My right hand man squirmed at the mention at the mastermind behind the latest nerd weapon(he didn't like to think about Thad after the 'yardstick incident').  
"Might've known Thad would think of that." he mumbled.  
"Can you blame him with everything that's been going on?" Beatrice pointed out before turning her attention back to me. "Anyway, any ideas how to help us with the preps?"  
"Not if you were wanting originality. Just beatings."  
"Maybe we should think of something else- giving their hobbies and homelives into account, I doubt that would bother them. If I think of anything, I'll let you know."  
"Fine."

She glanced at the clock."I'd best be going- I'm meeting up with the guys " she stated apologeticly, turning to walk off. As she did, a familiar click of stilettos met my ears.

"Hi babe" the visitor said, her ruby lips grinning to show off perfect teeth. The brazen beauty swanned towards me, placing her hands on my arms .  
"I came to talk about last night." she explained softly, looking at me with the expression of a guilty child.  
"I meant what I said- we're done." I said, pushing her off me with just enough force to not harm her.  
"Oh come on, babe,we always get back to each other." she pouted. "I love you, Johnny; You love me" _Well , she's half right._  
"No you don't." I corrected .  
"Love is so complicated, Johnny." she breathed, batting her eyelashes at me.  
_You love someone, you stay with them, you don't cheat- what's complicated?_  
"Um... I'm going to leave." Beatrice barely whispered , backing towards the door .  
"What are you doing here?"

**Beatrice's POV **

_Oh dear. __I can think of a million things to say right now, and every last one of them would get me slapped into Elizabethan England. _

Before I had a chance, Lola put two and two together, somehow ending up with seventy five.  
"So Johnny, it looks like you're not so perfect after all." she commented."But she's seriously the best you could get?_ Well that's not at all offensive ._  
"I'm here on clique business, Lola." I explained, mentally adding "at least I can keep my legs shut" before dashing to the safety of the library.

**Peanut's POV **

"Clique business my ass. Honestly Johnny, how did you get stuck with that?" she demanded, gesturing to the direction the nerd girl had ran off before going into a huge list of her flaws including spots, shyness and an irritating habit of breathing(apparently, Beatrice wasn't very popular with the girls).

About four hudred and three flaws later, her tone softened again.  
"Johnny baby, you could do so much better than her." she drawled in that sickly sweet tone of hers. "Let's be honest- we're meant for each other." Recognising the loyal, forgiving expression on my friend's face, I realised I had to say something to save my friend from making the mistake of taking Lola back (again).  
"I wonder if Spencer would agree with that ."  
"Oh don't be like that, Peanut." she said, emphaisising my hated nickname."That was completely innocent."  
"Oh right... Like it was innocent with Gord, Chad, Algie..." I commented, watching Johnny's face darken slightly with each name.  
"Shut up, Peanut."  
"...the townies ,Mr Burton..." (All right, I made those two up, but it had the desired effect.) Johnny's horror radiated through the room.  
"Lola, just get out and don't come back." my friend ordered.


	18. Chapter 17 Preparations

Hiya! I had a few ideas of where the story should go next , so I thought I'd just do a list again If anyone has a preference for plans or costumes mentioned in this chapter , please could you let me know ? Thanks

Italics are thoughts and notes .

Discalaimer : I don't own this game. Not a pixel .

Chapter 17 - Preparations

Melvin's POV

Now that our half of the bargain was finished and Tad was beaten within an inch of his life , we moved onto the next target .  
"Right , so is that all your ideas , Thad?"  
"Yep."  
"Beatrice?"  
"That's it from me."  
"Earnest?"  
"Done."

We ended up with forty seven ideas to get Montrose .Once we crossed out anything involving chainsaws or mutilation (i. e , most of Thad's plans ) , We ended up with this :

_1 . Egging their houses .  
Pro - Greasers will have no problem helping us ,as for at least one of them , this is their weekend hobby  
Con - Not original ._

_2 . Scare the life out of him by standing above their beds dressed as the grim reaper . Photograph his terrified expression and send them to parents / friends / paper with various captions underneath._  
_Pro - Humiliating ._  
_Con - Should we be disturbed , we may have difficulty in explaining why one of us is stood over another student's bed in a cloak holding a camera ._

_3 . Kick him in the nuts .Hard . While wearing pointy stilettos (Beatrice is the only one able to do this if we want to keep our last lingering scrap of dignity) ._  
_Pro - According to Christy (overheard in girls dorms) , this works every time . One of Beatrice's roomates has perfect footwear for this ._  
_Con - The most reliable source we had on the subject was Christy , who will not be happy if Beatrice get blood on her favourite pointy stilettos ._

_4 . Find evidence of something incriminating . Threaten to expose him unless he humiliates himself in front of the school in the fashion of our choice ._  
_Pro - Bryce would never want anyone to know about his secret obsession with Ms Phillips' shoes ._  
_Con - Bryce's obsession is possibly the worst kept secret on campus with the possible exception of Dr Watts' most recent date (that poor , poor man)._

_5 . Inform his father of what happened to Bucky ._  
_Pro - Causing scandal will ensure Montrose is given what is known as a 'good thrashing' by either his dad or another relative ._  
_Con - Mr Montrose has been causing scandal for years thanks to his activities with Thai drag queens and has yet to receive a 'good thrashing' from anyone , however much he may need sense knocking into him, judging from the stories about certain barnyard animals (however , this may be a leftover from Gary Smith)_

_6 . Halloween .  
Pro - No supervision = endless possibilities ._  
_Con - We will have to find time for this between being pranked by others ._

"What are we wearing for Halloween , anyway?" Fatty asked . "I've grown out of last years costume ."  
"Me too ." added Algie .  
"If it's not Dragons and Dungeons again , I don't mind - the female costumes for that game are horrific ; there's more material in a thong!" Beatrice remarked , shuddering at the memory of the disgusting excuses for costumes in the shop .  
"Ok then . " Earnest announced , picking his pen up ."Any ideas?" . We stayed quiet for a few minutes .  
"We could do what we did in first year and pick a random book from the library ." Cornelius suggested .  
"Didn't we end up going as the cast of Alice in Wonderland?" Beatrice recalled , smiling slightly at the memories (probably because Fatty and Algie went as the tweedles and Cornelius was the queen of hearts , while she was stuck in a less humiliating blue dress with an alice band ) .  
"Ok then - we'll rember to stay out of the children's classic" Earnest grinned , scribbling down the idea ."Melvin?"  
"If you don't shove me into a cat costume again , I don't care " I replied , shuddering at the thought of having to grin like an idiot all night with purple whiskers painted on my face again .

The final list looked like this :

_1 . Random book._  
_Pro - Will end up with a better costume than first year since we are now old enough to be allowed in the horror section . That said , we could not possibly do worse than first year._  
_Con - If we do this ,we may end up with Dracula it will be slightly embarrassing if we all go in identical suits and fangs ._

_2 . Go as the Jocks Pro - Mandy may take the hint and stop making Beatrice apply for cheerleading ._  
_Con - Mandy will murder us , or Ted will beat Donald up (again) , hang him up in the boy's changing rooms by his underwear (again ) , leave him there until he is found and taken down by someone else(again ) , who will most likely be another Jock who will beat him a second time before hanging back up ...again ._

_3 . Go as teachers ._  
_Pro - Original. _  
_Con - If we have to go to the staff room during the traditional staff cocktail party , Dr Watts may faint , leaving him to the mercy of a drunken Edna_

_4 . Go as whoever we are studying in History or English._  
_Pro - Extra credit from Mr Wiggins /Galloway ._  
_Con - We are currently learning about the german stormtroopers in history and 'The Tempest' in English, so unless we change subject , using this is a bad idea ._

_This is going to be a very interesting October 31st ._


	19. Chapter 18 Arrangements

Hi! I'm sorry I haven't put a new chapter up for a while , but my laptop charger broke , so I couldn't use the site for a while since the laptop ran out of battery .

Thanks for reading .

Disclaimer : There are some very lucky people who own this game and its characters .I am not one of them .

Chapter 18 - Arrangements

Vance's POV

As we sat down to begin vocabulary test , I stared at letters on the page : S , H , I , T , E , S . Unfortunately , only one word jumped out at me from the page (_don't pretend you don't know what it is)_ . After a few minutes of staring at the page , which would have made more sense if it were in ancient hebrew , the nerd next to me nudged me with the blunt end of his pencil .  
"Excuse me , but could you tell me what you and your friends are doing on Saturday?" he asked ,writing as he spoke . _Why did he want to know ?_  
"Tenements . What's it to you?"  
"Right . Could you tell Johnny that Beatrice wants a word with him about the preps , please? She needs to arrange something for Halloween." he requested .I looked at him like he'd just asked me for a good place to hide a body ._What the hell would the nerd broad want with Johnny , and since when did the preps become involved with the nerds , excluding wedgies?_  
"What does the chick need to speak to Johnny about ?" I asked the nerd , who looked at me as though I'd just asked him what one plus one was.  
"It's a long story . Basically , some preps beat Bucky up , so Beatrice and the rest of us did a big favour for Johnny so now he's helping us get back at them ... actually , it's quite a short story ." he commented as I took it this new information _(Nobody tells me anything!) _.  
"...Right . I'll tell Johnny when I see him .Why's she asking about Halloween ?" . The nerd grinned , mischeif dancing across his face and secret knowledge sparkling in his chocolate brown eyes .  
"We've got some arrangements for Saturday , but since we're hardly the toughest people , we were hoping for some back up ... just in case ." He explained , speaking like a child describing a new toy he was getting for his birthday when he said the word "arrangements" . Despite not being entirely certain what the "arrangements" were , his enthusiasm was contagious - that said , me and the guys need very little persuasion to take part in anything that involves the words "preps" , "get back at" and "Halloween" .  
_How long is it since we last gave the preppies what they would call "a good thrashing" or what we would call "a bruising"? Too long._ I decided , turning back to the nerd guy who I vaguely remembered in a dress during the school play, pining for some guy called Romeo .  
"Okay . So the nerd girl wants Johnny and the rest of us to help you get back at the preps . Is that everything?"  
"Pretty much . Thanks ." he said , focusing his attention on the assignment , smoke streaming off his page from sheer speed. When he dropped his pencil five minutes later I was still staring gormlessly _(Is that a word?) _at my paper . What was the point of these things , anyway ? About a minute passed before a blunt pencil made contact with with my jacket again . Smiling , Cornelius _( I think that was his name, although I only really saw him in English )_ turned his completed assignment towards me , giving me a good glimpse of enough answers to pass . Smiling back with silent thanks , I grabbed my pencil and wrote furiously .

Earnest's POV

"Who's picking , then ?" I asked , scanning my friend's expectant faces first , then the row of heavy novels my friends had picked ; "Frankenstein" , "Gone with the Wind" and "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" were among them . After a few seconds , Bucky stepped forward closing his eyes and running a finger along the books .At random , he picked a book , before pulling a mildly amused expression and putting it back . "Can I pick again ?" He asked .  
"Why?" . He responded by passing me the book , pointing to the front ; a boy on a bike wearing a leather jacket with slicked back hair , and the words ' The Outsiders' in big , black , bold letters .  
"We can't go see the greasers like that - they'll think we're taking the mickey ." he pointed out .  
"Fair enough . Pick something else , Bucky." . Shutting his eyes again , he grabbed another book , before smiling and handing it to me .  
"Good choice , Bucky ." I smiled , passing it to Beatrice .  
"Hmm ... not sure I'm dressing up this year with the stuff going on , but I can't wait to see your costumes ." she stated ,lifting her schoolbag up carefully ."Did you pass that message on , Cornelius?" she continued .  
" said they were going to the Tenements . Have you got the stuff ready?"  
"Yes . Bye." she beamed ,barely avoiding falling over as she dawdled out of the library .After she left I lifted the book back up and passed it round the others , whose grins of relief (after first year , I don't blame them) lit up the library.

**If anyone has any particular ideas for what the arrangements should include , please let me know by either reviewing or sending me a message.**


	20. Chapter 19 Halloween

**Hello! Sorry if this took a bit longer than normal, but my laptop hates me.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**Disclaimer : I am not rich or lucky enough to own Bully or any of its characters.**

**Chapter 19 - Halloween**

**Hal's POV**

Amber pumpkins with sinister grins glowed outside the autoshop on the high, brick wall .The moon shone softly in the black night ,obscured slightly by a cloud of smoke Lefty had just exhaled .  
"Has Johnny stopped moping yet?" he asked between drags on his cigarette .  
"He cheered up around Thursday .He's normally back with the slut by now."  
"Maybe she's out of our hair for good" Lefty coughed ."By the way , any luck with those bike parts?" I asked , staring at the intricate patterns made by the clouds of smoke . After about forty minutes of bike talk and generally badmouthing Lola , a gangly figure wandered out of the darkness .

The girl in front of me was about as tall and nearly as emanciated as Lola ,although this seemed to be the only thing the two shared ; the nerd wore ridiculously huge glasses which covered almost half of her face , her dark blonde hair hung a few inches past her shoulders as opposed to the slut's brown bob and her slightly stooped posture was a world away from Lola's catwalk poses .In a bright green astronomy club dress , she looked about as inconspicous as the grim reaper in a nursery .

"Hello" she greeted me , eyes to the floor. "Um ... has Johnny informed you of what we were planning for tonight ?" .  
_What the hell was she talking about ?_ I thought , putting my hand out .  
"Nope . I'm Hal , by the way ."  
"I'm Beatrice." she responded , shaking my hand ."Do you know when the other greasers will be here ?" .  
I shrugged."Ten minutes ?Maybe fifteen?"  
"Ok. Do you want me to explain everything now or should I wait until they show up?" .  
"I might as well find out now." I said , aching with curiosity (since he ditched Lola ,Johnny had been about as helpful as a partial lobotamy when it came to explaining the nerds' strategy or even why we were helping them ,although an idiot could work out a certain rancid whore was involved somewhere in the matter).

By the time she had explained everything from her friend's injuries to her involvement in Johnny dropping Lola like a hot potato (which resulted in me acquiring a sudden liking for the nerds) to the plans for the night ,Johnny and the rest of my friends -along with hers- had shown up  
"Hal , who's the broad ?" Lucky asked ,feeling the need to point at Beatrice despite the fact that she was the only "broad" present .My new acquaintance stepped forward .  
"I'm Beatrice .This is Algie , Fatty , Melvin , Thad , Donald , Earnest , Cornelius and Bucky .Um ... Has Johnny explained anything to you all?" she asked , her expression screaming _"Please already know - I really don't want to go into a big speech ."  
_"I can't say he has .Care to explain?" .At this point, Earnest saved her , stating that "Basically,some prep neanderthals beat up our amigo Bucky up , so we did Johnny a favour on the condition that he helped us get back at him ."  
"If anyone has a problem with this , then you don't need to help us. We were hoping to get into a few groups and pull various pranks on Bif Taylor and Bryce Montrose ... does anyone not want to get involved" she asked , pausing to allow any objections . There weren't any - no greaser would respond to "want to help us get back at preps?" with "no thanks"  
"As long as I don't have to work with him." Peanut insisted , pointing to one of the scrawnier nerds, who was dressed in a lab coat . The nerd scowled at him .  
"Why would I want to work with a neanderthal like you , Peanut?" he retorted , emphasising my friend's hated nickname .  
"Don't push it , Yardstick boy - just because your friend's woman rid Johnny of that slut doesn't mean you're safe." . One of the fat nerds almost doubled over laughing ,earning him a look from both Beatrice and the nerd leader that blantantly said _"Stop laughing or lose your balls"_ .  
"How many times? I am _not_ his broad , or anyone else's for that matter ." the girl stated bluntly .Realising his mistake , Peanut apologised .  
"What kind of idiot thinks they would date?" the scrawny boy remarked , glaring at Peanut .  
"Thad ,I don't know or care what you two have against each other , but can you just leave it?" the nerd girl pleaded , grasping the boy's collar in the same fashion you would if your pet chiuaua was about to go for an alsation whilst Earnest eyed the candy spray sticking out of his friend's lab coat pocket .Not letting go of Thad , Beatrice passed a piece of paper around .  
"Taylor and Montrose are in Harrington House fast asleep ; apparently lower class traditions like Halloween aren't good enough for them .Earnest worked out we'd go into these groups , although it might be better if I switch with Thad. Once we're in the groups, Algie , Cornelius , Bucky and me will explain what we're going to do .I have some stuff in the girls' dorm .I'll go get them now " she said , injecting more venom into any mention of the preps than I thought possible before darting off

Within five minutes , we assembled into four groups , each consisting of four or five people .Not long after ,Beatrice returned holding two buckets containing various objects in each hand . She passed one each to the fat kid who wets himself , the beanpole of a boy and the nerd with a cast on his arm who I guessed was Bucky , keeping hold of one .I still didn't know what we were going to do, but the makeshift gun and eggs gave me an idea .  
"Right . If there's any problems ,go to the Observatory and lock the door behind you .If you finish your prank , then go help Bucky's group around Harrington House . Any questions?" she asked the fifteen people in front of her , who each shook their heads."Good luck , everyone. " she smiled before leaving with Peanut , Johnny and Earnest .

**Johnny's POV**

The fire cackled in the living room of Harrington House , giving out just enough light to show the outline of a huge trophy case , ivory chess pieces and an enormous , probably valuable painting facing us .  
"You'd think that the idiots would put a lock on the door with all this stuff here." Peanut remarked , eyeing a gold , engraved , expensive looking vase. "Some of these ornaments must be worth thousands."  
"It's revolting when there's babies starving to death in the world . What idiot spends that kind of money on a vase?" I commented , grimacing as I imagined the price tags for these objects .  
"I hear inbreeding ruins brain cells , which would explain the catastrophe in Dr . Watts' class last week." Beatrice suggested , cautiously putting our bucket down on the rug before yanking out two torches which she passed to me and Earnest .  
"Earnest ,could you and Peanut please go upstairs and get any aquaberry clothing from Taylor and Montrose you can find ?" she requested ."Me and Johnny will set up in the bathroom."  
"That's great ,amiga .Which colour are we using?"  
"Red , I think."  
"Excellent." he beamed as he and Peanut disappeared upstairs as Beatrice ran towards a large mahogany door ,gesturing for me to follow .

The bathroom was almost as grand as the main room ; the room included silver taps designed with a cupid style , along with several initialled dressing gowns (Aquaberry , naturally) plus spotless porcelain tiles . The nerd girl examined the dressing gowns before chucking two in the tub , which was bigger than some swimming pools .Then , she pulled a multitude of rubber bands out of the bucket as well as two medium sized bottles .  
"Red or yellow?" she asked me , holding up the bottles.  
"Um ... red?" I suggested , still not quite sure what she was talking about .She nodded , turning boths taps on full blast and tipping one of the bottles into the bath . Suddenly , she went very slightly pink.  
"Sorry ... I haven't explained, have I?" she apologised .  
"Nope. What are we doing ?" I replied , intrigued by the red mixture swirling in the bath water .  
"We're tie-dying the preps' clothing ." I nearly burst out laughing at the concept of Bif in the same stuff the music teacher wore , not helped by Beatrice grinning her face off .  
"I think they'd prefer the same punishment as Spencer" I commented , blood boiling when I thought of him .  
"Knowing them , that's more than likely." . Her smile vanished for a moment . "By the way , I'm so sorry about everything with Lola ." she barely whispered ,as though she felt that saying something quietly made it better .  
"It's fine - I just wish I knew why she did it . I mean , I loved her. Isn't that enough ?Why would she just kiss the face off anyone who asked? " I asked , rage at my newly ex girlfriend bubbling . Beatrice paused for twenty seconds or so before saying "I don't know . I wish I could tell you . If it's any consolation , I don't think Tad will be so enthusiastic after the bloody nose ."

The second Beatrice stopped speaking , Peanut barged in holding a pile of blue shirts .  
"Is this enough?" he asked , dropping the heap on the floor.  
"That's great , thanks ." I told him . "Whose are they?"  
"Taylor's. Earnest's getting Montrose's now." . Almost on cue , the nerd leader burst in with an armful of blue vests and a smile the size of Russia .  
"There you go .Are you sure we have enough dye?" he inquired , eyes like fireflies at the prospect of the crime he was participating in .  
"Let's hope so, Earnest .Are you two going to the tower or helping us? "  
"Not sure . Maybe Bucky wants a hand with the egging - I'll go ask him . Are you coming , amigo?" he invited Peanut .  
"I think I can concentrate on egging them rather than Thad." he joked , staring at the tied clothes me and my accomplice were dropping into the bath as they started to change to a violet shade .

Maybe forty minutes of chatting and dyeing later , we dragged the clothes out of the freezing water , shaking them the dry them slightly . Once they weren't dripping, we crept up the staircase .

Once we eventually found their rooms , we hung the clothes up , silently laughing . For some reason , Beatrice edged towards the bed where Taylor was laid down , snoring like a foghorn .  
"Bloody hell!" Beatrice chortled , after examining Taylor's face.  
"Beatrice ,shut up" I implored , looking warily at Taylor , who was thankfully still dreaming of boxing or marrying his sister or something not dissimilar.  
"Can you honestly blame me - look at him!" she giggled behind her hand , as though she was trying to shove the laughter back down her throat .

What I saw next was something I shall never forget ; various swear words were scawled on Taylor's face in brown gunk , including the words "I love you , Bryce !" scribbled on his forehead with several vulgar diagrams .  
"Where did Algie get the henna from ? We were meant to be using magic marker." Beatrice wondered aloud when I finally managed to regain my self control ._Henna? Oh this was just too good._  
"So he's stuck with that?"  
"Yes ... for three to five days , at least . Good luck to him explaining that !" she chortled, blue eyes glinting with triumph behind her thick glasses .

When by some miracle we managed to put everything back and dash outside the preppie house , we almost doubled over from the madness of the whole situation .  
"How the hell did we get away with that?" I gasped between chortles just as a potato flew past my head .  
"I have ... absolutely ... no clue" she responded when she finally caught her breath . We stood for a minute in shared, silent delight .  
"Algie deserves a drink for the henna."  
"He's egging , probably .Do you want to help?" _Did she really feel the need to ask me that?_  
"What do you think ?"


	21. Chapter 20  Eggs

**Hiya!Thanks to anyone still reading since this is getting quite long now. Any reviews would be very much appreciated.**

**Disclaimer : I don't own Bully or any of it's characters . However , I thought of the silent horseradish inflicting tommy-gun , so that's mine.**

**Chapter 20 - Eggs**

**Bucky's POV**

Splat.

The eggs soared through the air like shooting stars before they smashed gloriously against the glass panes (or even better through an open window ) ,shattering into tiny pieces and sloppy mess . Amazingly , the constant crack as eggs met the brick wall hadn't woke a single prep , which was a shame in some ways as an open- mouthed, ( and from what Algie had told me of his part in the night's mischeif ) temporarily tattooed Bif Taylor would have mde an excellent target for us . I analyzed the scene quickly ; thirteen shadows shot eggs at the high walls of the house just as two more figures approached.  
"Beatrice!" I exclaimed as my companion ran towards me with the grace of a dying kangaroo , the greaser king just behind her . "Did everything go according to plan ?"  
"Yes ,remarkably . There's something strangely satisfying about destroying those brutes' possessions from right under their noses . Can't we hang about tomorrow to see their new look?"  
"Tempting as that may sound , I'd rather not give them another reason to beat seven shades of fecal matter out of me again ." I commented ,eyeing the bucket which was getting close to empty . "By the way, could you please get the back-up weapons from the Observatory , please? We've almost finished the spare eggs."  
"What are the back-up weapons ?" Johnny Vincent asked , regaining his breath from the run .  
"Let's just say that you'll like it more than the preps will . Do you want to give me a hand ?" Beatrice requested ,pulling the remaining eggs out of the almost bucket so that she would have an easier time with the weapons .The greaser nodded before dissapearing into the distance with her.

**Peanut's POV**

_"This is amazing."_ I thought as I flung my final egg at the wall. "_It's Halloween ,I've managed to throw only one egg at Thad and best of all , with the help of the nerds we've essentially turned Harrington House into an omelette."_  
"Bucky , I've ran out of eggs!"  
"I was hoping you'd say that."  
_What the hell?Did I hear him right ?_ As the injured nerd took in my incredulous expression , my best friend and the nerd girl bounded over after about five minutes of leaving ,each clutching a makeshift gun and a bucket overflowing with what looked like cans of food in the moonlight.  
"Thank you . " Bucky said , putting the buckets on the floor lovingly .He beckoned me over , pulling bottles of foul looking green liquid out of the bucket ,along with - of all things - a gun .  
"This is a spud gun " he explained , holding it with more care than most would hold a newborn baby . "Incredibly powerful ; has been known to knock out a prefect from thirty feet away." .He then pulled out another contraption ."The bottle rocket launcher.I made this . Can shoot three bottles at a time ." he stated in a business-like manner. He then rooted about through various spud guns and bottle rocket launchers to pull out a larger weapon , which he held up to admire in the cool night's glow ."This is my personal favourite , and potentially Thad's finest creation ; the silent horseradish inflicting tommy-gun .Quite literally the S.H.I.T . The latest in food-fighting technology , this baby can knock out a jock before anyone realises you're holding it ."Having finished his little arms-dealer's speech ,he put each gun back in the bucket cautiously before asking me which I would like . Looking about to discover Johnny and the nerd girl reloading their guns (A spud gun for Johnny and a horseradish gun for Beatrice), I grabbed a spud gun and fired straight at a window, which instantly shattered into a thousand tiny blades .

_Oops._

**Beatrice's POV**

"What the devil are you doing , paupers ?"

_Damn ._ Tad was now at the shattered window , glaring at Peanut , completely ignoring me and the rest of the vigilantes as he launched into a string of insults . Unfazed , Peanut shouted back that at least his mother and his aunt weren't the same person . Now as a nerd , you only learn very basic unwritten rules of society , the main one of these being this unless you really want a fight , a person's mother is not fair game . As if expecting this , a pyjama clad Bryce (the pyjamas now being the only unspoiled clothing he owned , I am pleased to say ) opened his own window , leaning out to ask Tad what was going on .

_Please fall out._ I thought wickedly as he stayed bent out of the window until they agreed to "get the peons" , after which they promptly ran out of the front door to whack Peanut , not even bothering to get changed ( Damn - I was hoping to witness Bryce's reaction to his new wardrobe) . I could only watch in horror as punch after punch was thrown at the greaser , although mercifully few hit due to the darkness and the half asleep state of the brutes .

From completely out of the blue , a potato crashed into Montrose's groin , causing him to cry out a word I refuse to repeat . As a result of the obscenity , Tad looked up just to see another potato smack him in the forehead with enough force to knock him over with only the already half conscious Montrose to break the fall .

"I ... I did it ... I did it!" a whiny voice proclaimed , raising his spud gun in the air in triumph.  
"Bloody Hell , Algie !" Bucky congratulated , accompanied by the cheer of fourteen teenagers and as the air reamained free of any suspicious stenches , I thanked God that Algie's bladder hadn't ruined his moment .


	22. Chapter 21 Aftermath

**Hiya! Thanks for reading . Any reviews would be very much appreciated .**

**Chapter 21 - Aftermath**

**Bryce's POV**

I groaned as the early morning light streamed into the window , soothed by the realisation that it was Sunday , which meant I could catch up on the sleep I was deprived of last night thanks to that stupid fat boy shooting me (Tad and I agreed never to speak of it again) . Shortly after the clock hit eleven o clock , I managed to yank myself from the bed and to the shower .

Once the hot water revived me from my zombie-like state of sleepiness , a blood-curdling scream made me wish I hadn't woke up as I ran across to Bif's room .

Inside the room was my red haired friend , his horrified face covered with various obscenities , including various swear words and worst of all , the words "I love you ,Bryce" across his forehead .  
"Something you wanted to tell me , Bif?" I smirked , reading the other words , most of which were remarkably rude .He turned to me , glaring .  
"You haven't looked in mirror today ,have you ?" he countered , a cruel , contemptuous expression on his vandalised face .At his words , I ran into the nearest bathroom to discover my own perfect face had been grafitied on .  
"How do I get it off?" I shrieked to Bif , utterly horrified ._ I was visiting my parents today ; how was I going to explain why I had a phallus painted on cheek and a confession of love for Bif plastered on my forehead ?_  
"It won't - I've tried everything!" Bif shouted , filling me with dread .

After about an hour and a half of scrubbing , I realised that Bif was right . After an initial panic , I decided I would simply get dressed and run to one of the cosmetic stores in town . _"There will be something to cover it up ." _I soothed myself , pulling an Aquaberry vest out of my drawer .

To my absolute shock , the pristine vest was now a purple , tie dyed monstrosity . Consequently , I chucked it on the floor and pulled out another .

The second vest was also tie dyed . As was the third.

And the fourth.

**Johnny's POV**

"Did you hear something?" I asked , hoping my mind wasn't playing tricks on me . I was almost certain that I heard a faint , far away shriek . "I don't think so." Hal shrugged , adding the final touches to his bike before standing up with a grin .He paused briefly . "Actually , I think someone might be at the door" he considered , a remarkably quiet tapping meeting my ears once he'd stopped talking . Sure enough , Beatrice was on the other side of the door with a paper bag and a huge grin .  
"Hello . I thought you might want to know I've just heard screaming from Harrington House , so I'm guessing that our overpriviledged friends have discovered our antics from last night . Also , my friends asked me to bring you these " she explained , holding ot the paper bag like a jeweller holds an expensive necklace ."It's the bike chains they and your friends stole from the preps . We haven't got much use for them .  
"That's great . Any ideas who was screaming?" I enquired .  
"No pretentious fake accent , so I'm guessing Bif ." she grinned , the victory in her cornflower blue eyes lighting up her face . Her spots were starting to clear up very slightly (perhaps from all the fresh air she got the previous night?) , so the overall effect was quite nice once you got past the humongous glasses .  
"Good . Thanks for the chains ." I smiled .  
"No problem ; it's not like we could do much with them . By the way , how's the hand?" she asked , the slightest hint of concern in her voice as she eyed my fist .  
"It's fine ,thanks . It wasn't broken ." . she smiled very slightly before muttering "Ok . Goodbye ."  
"See you . Tell Algie I said "Well Done." ,by the way - I don't think I'll ever forget the trust fund turd's face." I requested .She nodded before turning on her heels and running off , nearly falling flat on her face several times before she left sight .  
"What happened to your hand , Johnny?" Hal asked , having apparently listened to the entire conversation .  
"Nothing." I answered quickly . Hal put his hands on his hips in a slightly feminine manner . With his disapproving frown , he looked a bit like my mother ( though luckily this is where the similarity ended ; my mother would kill me in cold blood if I told her she looked like a teenage boy).  
"You punched the wall again , didn't you ?"

Beatrice's POV

The day flew by in a blur of laughter , chocolate (courtesy of Bucky ; apparently when he was in hospital we went a bit overboard on the gifts) and watching as Bif tried to use his bike and not moving at all thanks to his now absent chain (from behind bushes , of course - we didn't have a death wish) .

The next day sadly was a different matter entirely . Even the weather seemed angry at us ; the rain smacked the ground outside like millions of tiny bullets whilst the thunder roared with rage . However , our mood completely contrasted the violent weather ; still slightly drunk on adrenaline , we let the hours drift by in the library.

The quiet bliss was disrupted at about four o clock by frantic , furious footsteps bounding through the library .  
"Hello Taylor." I stated , hiding my delight at the sight of the prep wearing my handiwork , which wasn't helped by the brilliant comments drawn all over his face .He , on the other hand , was not nearly as amused as I was .  
"How dare you." he whispered darkly , with an expression that suggested he wanted to tear every one of us limb from puny limb "With all due respect ,amigo,what makes you think we had anything to do with ... whatever seems to have happened ?" asked Earnest , who deserved an oscar for the childish guiltlessness he displayed at this point in time .  
"Don't you dare play innocent with me, pauper ; Bryce told me you were egging Harrington House last night . So it's not a huge leap to assume you were responsible for this." he accused , pointing at his henna stained face and an aquaberry shirt that the music teacher would love .  
"That's a huge leap; what proof have you got that we did this?" Earnest demanded ,standing up to look the brute in the eye , despite being a good few inches flailed around a bit , searching for some scrap of evidence with as much success as Dr Watts has avoiding Edna.  
"Fine." He threatened . "Maybe I can't proove it, but I know you boys had a part in it I don't know why or how you did it , but I know I was you , and I swear I will get you for this!" . With a final look of disgust , he swaggered off .

"Do you think he was serious ?" I wondered aloud , staring warily at the door .Earnest shook his head .  
"Probably not - he was probably just going to scare us . He can't really get us without any proof."


	23. Chapter 22 War

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 22- War **

**Earnest's POV**

Bif got us.

It wasn't that day, it wasn't the next day(It was on Thursday night), but he got us.

And hell, did he get us .

The stars gleamed, illuminating the path to the Observatory as Melvin, Beatrice and I dawdled towards it, discussing how jumpy Dr Watts had been at lunch when he caught Edna looking at him.  
"After the incident last year, can you blame him? She's been hanging around the Chemistry Lab like that old, homeless drunk hangs around a pub when he's had twelve drinks too many and everyone's too polite to ask him to leave, so they wait till the next pint knocks him out before carrying him outside and dumping him in his alley." Beatrice stated.  
"What actually happened between them?" Melvin enquired .  
"Well, Melvin," I replied in a matter of fact tone. "When a woman and a man like each other very much or get very drunk, they have a special hug in which the man puts his pe -"  
"Stop right there, Earnest, before you put all of us in therapy." Beatrice pleaded, shuddering. "They must have been utterly intoxicated."  
"Well, I hear Watts was. I don't know how, mind you- he never drinks.  
"Maybe it was the fumes from the lab again?" Melvin suggested.  
"Remind me never to stay in there longer than necessary ever again." Beatrice said as we opened the door.

The sight before us was horrible; the spud cannon was reduced to a few cans scattered across the floor, the walls were spray-painted with the words "You've asked for war" as well as various obscenities(including 'Watts and Edna' messages - I'll spare you the details and you certainly don't want to hear about the diagram) and the boxes of my work were in disarray. From the first glance, it looked like nothing had been ignored- not even my(ahem) history work .

_My history work!_

I ran to the boxes to check, horror thrilling through my veins.

_Anything but those!_

**Melvin's POV**

"Why!" Earnest screamed as he looked through the boxes, falling to his knees. Horrified, I left Beatrice to read the graffiti while I tended to my distraught friend, who was close to tears as he stared at the empty box.  
"My history project!" he weeped, throwing his arms in the air before bellowing "Damn you preps!". At this point, I pulled him up by the shoulders.  
"Firstly Earnest, we both know that what was in that box and it wasn't history work. Secondly, I think we should concentrate on fixing the gun and clearing up the graffiti."  
"This means war! We can't let them get away with this! Beatrice, could you get the greasers?"  
"Have you forgotten Halloween?" Beatrice asked, frowning at the rude messages adorning the walls. "I think we've asked quite enough of them, don't you?"  
"But look what they've done, Beatrice ! Look what they've wrote about you over here!" my friend shrieked, pointing above the doorway.

Beatrice's mouth dropped open as she read the words .  
"I did what with magnesium!" she screamed as though someone had confessed to her that they took the photos of Mandy(the only good thing that came out of that was that when Beatrice found out about Jimmy's part in it, she lost all interest in him). She turned around, grabbed a discarded can and shook it, discovering it to be half-full(or half-empty, depending on what kind of person you were) and passed it to me.  
"Cover that up as soon as possible. I'll go see what I can do ."

**Johnny's POV**

"I wasn't expecting you back." I said truthfully, if not slightly pleased- I admired the girl's loyalty and nerds always seemed to arrive with an opportunity to beat preps up, which was something I was having difficulty abstaining from as a result of Lola slamming Spencer into the wall of the canteen and ramming her tongue down his throat.  
"I... wasn't expecting to come back... but then again, I wasn't expecting what the preps did to the observatory." she replied listing the various things the incestuous pricks had done, including a declaration of war. "Long story short, we weren't intending to lie back and take it. That said , we don't exactly instill fear into their hearts, so Earnest wanted to know if you'd like to help us." Before I could say a word, Peanut turned his attentions away fom him bike.  
"Don't you dare make her work as your private detective again, Johnny."  
"I wasn't going to." I answered, turning my attention back to Beatrice."So what did you have in mind?"  
"We could egg them, we could take the rest of their bike chains, or we could do some good old fashioned mindless vandalism . What do you prefer ?"  
"Spencer's house would look much better with a tag or two, if you want my opinion." Peanut commented.  
"Sounds like a plan. Is Friday good for your bunch?"  
"Probably. We'll meet you at Yum Yum market to get the stuff straight after school."  
"Done. Shall we bring the bikes? In case we get caught, I mean."  
"If you like, but if we get caught, you may have to share with some of us. I'll be going then. I'll see you both on Friday." she smiled before vanishing out f the Auto-shop.

**Derby's POV**

We raised our champagne flutes, clinking the glasses together in various celebrations.  
"To weekends."  
"To Tad finally getting a woman, even if she is a trollop."  
"To well and truly getting the nerds." Bif grinned, recollecting the state we left their headquarters to repay that(from what Bif had told me) completely undeserved egging of Harrington House. I was particularly proud of the warning we'd painted.  
"That'll teach them." I smirked as I raised my glass to my lips .

About four hours and a few champagnes later, a slight hissing sound grabbed my attention, before fading.  
"Tad, you might want to hire someone. That hissing is almost as annoying as the greaseballs."  
"I can't hear anything, chap. Where was it coming from?" he enquired, refilling his glass with the sparkling liquid.  
"Outside, I think. It's started again! Open the window and see what the matter is." I ordered.

Within seconds of obeying, Tad shrieked "You again!". We heard a slight crack before Tad turned from the window, egg yolk dripping down his face.  
"Those rapscallions are vandalising the house!" he shouted.  
"Come on, men." I ordered. The other gentlemen stood up on command.  
"Let's beat them back to the ghetto!"

**Johnny's POV**

"You'll pay for this pauper!"

_Shit.  
_"Hal , get the bikes ready!"

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Montrose circling Beatrice, a bit like a wolf would circle its prey. I couldn't help edging over as I punched Derby- we greasers had a bit more respect for women but if the preps ganged up on a scrap of a man like Bucky, they wouldn't hold back for a girl.

I needn't have worried. A lifetime of physical bullying from other girls- who , judging from the cat fights Lola had with Mandy, tend to be a bit sneakier with with twisting pinches and(if the victor was very bitchy) kicking a floored opponent- had left her the advantage of expecting the first blow and consequently dodging it before grabbing the prep's shoulders and jerking her knee up with a speed that would leave him singing soprano for a while. Having stunned the prep, she darted towards the bikes Hal was preparing, pulling them up and quickly arranging two people on each bike; one standing to pedal, another on the seat or sat on the front, holding the handles. By the time the other preps were down- not least due to Peanut's enthusiasm with the spare emergency spud gun- only me, Vance, Cornelius and Beatrice were left. Immediately , Cornelius rushed to the bike Vance had just got on to, which left me and the lone girl of the revenge party in the blazing autumn sunlight.  
"I'll drive." I offered as I sat down, not having having faith in her slender frame, however much harm it had caused Bryce's balls. She nodded, pulling her glasses off(with the sunlight glaring, they probably weren't helping her) before slipping onto the front of the bike, careful to keep her legs out of the way of wheel's way.

By the time we got back to Yum Yum's, her knuckles were white with the effort of clinging on.  
"If you'd said you were worried, I would have slowed down." I told her, surprised at my concern for someone I knew very little of. She shook her head madly as Cornelius darted into the shop.  
"It wasn't that bad." she insisted as the colour returned to her hands."Thank you for helping us again. I really ought to stop asking for favours- this is turning into a weekend ritual." she added , smiling.  
"No problem. I wouldn't mind much if it did. It's not like there's lots to do on a Saturday." I commented.  
"Who wants a toast?" Cornelius announced, passing around three six-packs of lemonade once we were sat on the pavement.  
"Yes please."  
"I do."  
"Nothing like a nice cool drink after a hard night of tagging, is there Johnny?"  
"Nope" I agreed. "I wonder why they didn't hear us until we were done. We were making enough noise."  
"Tad reeked of booze. Celebrating, maybe?" Vance theorised . Taking this as a prompt, Cornelius stood up, raising his can in an exagerated gesture.  
"Now gentlemen... and lady." he added in a flawless english accent. "A toast... to being condescending and marrying our immediate family so we can have children with nineteen middle names and no chins." The reference to Spencer's brother was too much, resulting in the lot of us falling about laughing, unfortunatly spilling a lot of lemonade in the process.

After we finally recover our compusure, Beatrice stood up. Her cornflower blue eyes sparkling with triumph from under long, thick eyelashes, she raised her glass slightly.  
"To showing the preps who's boss." she declared, her voice soaring with delight as we repeated the toast and clanged our cans together in happy victory.


	24. Chapter 23 Emphasis

**Hiya ! Thanks to anyone reading this .If anyone has the time to review , I would very much appreciate people's opinions on where the story is going .**

**Italics are notes and thoughts .**

**Disclaimer : I don't own any of these characters . I just write about them in the hopes that no one from Rockstar will find it and decide to break my kneecaps .**

**Chapter 23 - Emphasis**

**Peanut's POV**

The next month flew by in a cocktail of exams and weekends of lemonade with our new allies: allies with graceless movement(Beatrice), shameless humour(Cornelius) and wicked imaginations(Thad) to compliment sharp minds and loyalty to rival Miss Danvers' dedication to Crabblesnitch(although the nerds were considerably less annoying).

These qualities quickly came to light: whenever cheer-leading tryouts started, Beatrice's face crumpled like a paper ball the second she saw her name on the list in someone else's handwriting(no prize for guessing which brown-haired cheer-leader was responsible), which was quickly remedied by Cornelius's theory that the previous gym teacher(Mr Burton) only started the cheer-leading team so that he could tell which girls were willing to stick their ankles behind their ears, leading Thad to muse over why Lola wasn't on the team if that was the case . Surprisingly, Johnny didn't kick anyone's face in for this, which I took as a good sign- he was coping well with Lola withdrawal .

Having said that, he still seemed a bit... far away, I suppose would be a good way to put it . For example, in every lesson I sat with him in Art, he tended to glance at the window every ten minutes or so before returning to his painting(which usually portrayed a person whose gender I couldn't tell). I soon discovered why- sat by the window was no one else but Lola , tossing her chestnut hair about and jabbing Beatrice with a pencil every time she sharpened it, occasionally stopping to draw something with effortless skill. Despite the stabs every five minutes, Beatrice continued her attempts to sketch, frowning with frustration(past the odd diagram, still life wasn't really her thing) and occasionally smiling at us whenever Johnny or I made accidental eye contact with her, pointing at the nearest prep to indicate that the nerds were concocting a plan for the weekend, usually one involving the words 'preps'- by this point the war had spread through to the entire clique like a rash- as well as the odd social gathering.

Speaking of preps, they didn't take long to retaliate after the taggings. No sooner had the lemonade cans emptied than we found glue in our hair gell. The potato gun soon wiped any smirks off their faces, although our victory didn't last long when we found Donald hung up in the changing rooms by his underwear... repeatedly.

This and several other incidents led to the next course of action, which happened shortly before classes ended three days before Christmas, leaving us enough time to somehow scrape together some money- usually by fixing the boiler or running errands for Neil- for presents and little luxuries. On these days we had four classes; biology, maths, chemistry and gym.

**Beatrice's POV**

As Dr Slawter told us repeatedly , there are two sides to Biology; life ... and death. Similarly there were two sides to the clique war; two groups of friends which joined to create a force to be reckoned with... and arrogant, upper class inbreds who chose to reckon with that force. All the damn time. The last chemistry lesson we had before we broke up demonstrated this perfectly.

"Pauper." Taylor accused as we(or more accurately, I) worked .  
"Lovely to see you too Bif, although I do miss your tattoos." I spat, pinning the assignment down.  
"You have some balls." the red-haired boxer snarled as I reached for the next tool.  
"While we're on the subject of balls, how's Bryce?" I asked, pride surging through me as Bif's face darkened to a purple.  
"Bitch."  
"If I were you, I'd be very careful with your language while I have this scalpel in my possession."  
"Nerd."  
"Neandethal."  
See? Any meeting was an opportunity for them to annoy us, which they did frequently. Luckily for us, we usually won these little arguements within five minutes of them being initiated, consequently allowing them to go unnoticed and furthermore, unpunished.

However, when Thad stabbed Derby's hand with a pen for trying to swap their maths tests, Crabblesnitch commanded that all of the nerds go to his office for a huge, rambling lecture which he rounded off with the words"Don't let me catch you harming the preps!" before mumbling "By the way, Miss Trudeau, go to the autoshop immediately- Neil wishes to speak to you."

As I walked into the shop, I braced myself for the punishment of a lifetime for involving the greasers in the situation with the preps. Whatever he thought of the student body in general , Neil had a few grains of respect for them , always giving them the slightest bit more leniecy for misdemeanors or letting them stay fixing bikes for hours on end, sometimes even paying them to tend to his old van, which remarkably still worked despite being older than some of the teachers. Oblivious to my presence, he hummed a fifties type tune , only visible from the knees down.  
"Excuse me, Sir. You sent for me?" I shouted over the radio. As the car roared animately, Neil emerged from underneath it laid on a skateboard, oil streaked across his face.  
"So." he announced, standing up."This is the girl who got my star students into all this I hear about the preps."  
"I'm very sorry, Sir." I fibbed . He looked at me like you do a soaking wet child who insists they weren't out playing in the rain.  
"Don't give me that crap. They aren't sorry, you're not sorry and to be frank I'm not sorry. In fact, you wouldn't even be here if Crabblesnitch hadn't insisted I gave the young men a bollocking."  
"You didn't punish them for this, did you?"  
"Not unless the fascist asks you if I did. Now listen: While I'm sure the preps deserved it from what the guys told me, I have to insist on this- Don't let me catch yu harming the preps." He advised, mischeif twinkling on his dirty face .

Isn't it interesting how emphasis can change the meaning of a sentence completely? For example, when the Headmaster told us "Don't let me catch you harming the preps", he actually meant "Don't harm the preps". In contrast, when Neil said "Don't let me catch you harming the preps" he meant exactly that-"don't let me catch you".

So we didn't; Bucky didn't let Dr Watts catch him and Peanut dissolving itching powder in water(not a difficult task, since Dr Watts was so worried about Edna finding him, we could have been sacrificing first years to Satan and he wouldn't have noticed); Thad and Cornelius didn't get caught filling water balloons leftover from a birthday present with the itching solution; Algie didn't let the prefects catch him putting the balloons in the autoshop lockers with the note "_Meet us at the football field . Aim for the nuts ._"; Earnest didn't get caught passing Ricky a map of the field, marked with who should be in each tree; the greasers didn't get caught sneaking out of Gym by Mr Burton(although this was thanks to Donald's distraction of hanging himself up by his underwear- don't ask me how he managed this- and screaming blue murder to prevent anyone noticing each boy run out of the changing rooms); Hal , Norton and Fatty didn't get caught helping the lighter conspirators into the trees' branches; I didn't get caught throwing a balloon at Bif's head as he ran laps ( I am proud to say I hit him for once ); Lefty and Vance didn't get caught getting the greasers' bikes ready, and not one of us was caught driving to a cafe in Bullworth town with two or three people to each bike .

Long story short , we didn't get caught .

**Johnny's POV **

The cafe was a pleasant change; the dry, soft seats were better than the hard pavement, plus the heating was better than the cold, screaming breeze outside .

However, everything else stayed the same; Cornelius still got us three six packs(although this time we chipped in because making him pay struck us as a bit unfair); we still listened to each of the nerds explain their part in the plan(with Earnest often saying "Let's just say I had a part in it"); and we always banged our cans together with the words "To showing the preps whose boss". Looking at us , you would have thought we'd been friends for years, rather than a few months .

Then she came in, sashaying about like a model on a catwalk, hand in hand with none other than Tad Spencer, her huge brown eyes analysing my reaction as she sat down right in my line of view. Somehow managing not to say anything, I took a final sip of my lemonade before putting the can down by the notebook Beatrice was scribbling in.

Regretably, this had the opposite effect to the one I was planning on. Taking a final glance at me , Lola grabbed hold of Spencer's face and drew it towards hers, provoking the remark "slapper" from a few people.

Kissing that wanker in front of me was too much. Too full of rage to look what I was doing, I reached for my can...

Suddenly, a tiny jolt ran through my fingers. Immediately afterwards , an unexpected "What are you doing?" made me snap my head around to where the can was. Surprisingly, the object I discovered in my hand wasn't an empty can- instead , I found myself holding a soft hand with bitten nails,its fingers grasping a biro. Beatrice's blue eye's glanced from me, to the slut, then back to me, intelligence and understanding flashing through them. She nodded at me.  
_What does a nod mean!_  
"You could have let put my pen down before trying to annoy Lola , you know" she whispered jokingly .

_But I wasn't ... actually , that might just work _. Grinning , I kept hold of the girl's hand . It was quite pleasant having a hand to hold after such a long time ofwhat Peanut branded "Lola withdrawal" .  
Unfortunately , Lola was too immersed in the twat to notice something as simple or intimate as me holding someone's hand , but since I assumed that she would look up eventually (and maybe - just maybe - I was enjoying the feel of a kind , decent woman's hand in my own ) I held on , laughing and joking as though it was the most normal thing in the world .

**Beatrice's POV **

_Well ... this was a bit strange . Nice , but strange - a bit like watching a first year punch Ted in the the face a few months ago ( I will admire Pedro for that until he dies ) . _

Fortunately , we both concealed any embarrassment, talking quietly to really get under Lola's skin . Sadly , she was to busy devouring Spencer's face to notice us .

_"Oh well."_ I comforted myself . _"It could have been way worse . At least none of the girls from school know ; I'd never hear the end of it!"_

Then , and only then , did I notice a familiar red haired girl outside , whose face was pressed as close to the window as it would go , gawping like a fish at me and the others .

_Damn._


	25. Chapter 24 Gobsmacked

**Hiya! Thanks for reading .**

**Disclaimer : I own nothing . I just make up little stories in the hope that I won't get sued or - worse yet - create a Mary Sue .**

**Chapter 24 - Gobsmacked**

**Bucky's POV**

The snowflakes floated about in the air like tiny white feathers adding to the thin veil of ice that sparkled on the floor . My breath left a cloud of condesation in the air whenever I talked to Cornelius or Beatrice .  
"It's freezing, isn't it ?" I commented , teeth chattering .  
"Utterly . At least we don't have Burton anymore . If we did , we'd have been outside this afternoon , being made to roll in the snow until something dropped off . " Cornelius added .  
"If we still had Mr Burton , we'd be hiding in the library ." Beatrice pointed out .  
"You'd think Carvin would have noticed us ducking behind the classics every time she walked over ."  
"Not really - the only things that are in there more often than us are the chairs ." I pointed out .  
"Guys!" a snow blurred teenage boy ran over , accompanied by another boy of the same size . Once he was closer to us , I easily recognised the brown hair and leather jacket , despite the huge snowflake stuck to one lense of my glasses .  
"Hello , Peanut . Johnny ."Beatrice acknowledged while I yanked my glasses off (they weren't much good in the snow) .  
"Hey . How's life ?"  
"Fine . I haven't bumped into Christy yet , so ..."  
"Christy ?"  
"Christy Martin . " Cornelius volunteered . "Red hair , cheer-leader , gob of the century , walked past the cafe while you two were having your little moment yesterday ." Melvin and I had been teasing my friend with that until she gave us the look which blatantly screamed that unless we wanted to lose our dangly bits in a freak incident , we'd shut up . Cornelius , however , was impossible to pacify , not to mention merciless with teasing .  
"We weren't having a moment , Cornelius . We were trying to annoy Lola ."  
"Sure you were ..." I replied .  
"We were trying to annoy her ! Weren't we , Johnny ? Peanut , you were there ..."  
"Don't drag me into this ." the second-in-command said , stepping back . The second his shoe touched the snow a white ball of ice smacked him in the face , resulting in a group of laughs tainted with unnatural accents , along with a scarlet mark on the greaser's face .  
"Wankers!" Johnny muttered darkly . Before he could stalk over , Beatrice grabbed his collar .  
"Let go ."  
"No . You have no chance against six boxers , you plonker ."  
"But they just threw a snowball at me . I'm freezing !"  
"And how will a black eye warm you up ?"  
"Can I interupt your domestic?" Cornelius butted in .  
"Our what !"  
"While I've got your attention , I imagine snowballs would work in the spud gun . Why don't we round up the guys tonight ?" . We briefly contemplated this idea .  
"That might work , actually . Good idea ." Beatrice congratulated . "If anything happens , could one of you please come and get me ? I'll be in the girls dorm . " The three of us nodded at her as she ran off after a quiet "Thank you" .

Half a second later , my only female friend slipped , landing in a sitting position on the ice . This was made even worse by Mandy snickering from a few feet away . Johnny - who was closest - walked over to her with notably more caution than my friend had displayed .  
"Thanks . " she smiled once he had grabbed her hand and pulled her up , dusting herself off in the hopes of retaining some scrap of dignity . For some reason , Mandy stopped mid-laugh with epression as though someone had just smacked her in the gob - what's the word for that again ? Ah yes , gobsmacked .  
"Don't mention it ." he replied , smiling back before he let go of her hand . Not wanting to lose any more of her pride , my friend walked towards the girl's dorms in the hopes of getting there before Mandy whipped out some cutting remark .

"Nice girl , isn't she?" Johnny commented absent-mindedly , smiling at Beatrice as she vanished into the distance ."Now , how many of the gun things do you have?"

**Beatrice's POV**

"Beatrice!" Mandy shrieked in my ear , leaving a scribbled line on my notes when I had jumped from shock .  
"Beatrice ... Beatrice ..."  
_Just ignore her - She'll get sick eventually ._

Sadly , she didn't . Instead she decided to hit me with someone's pillow to get my attention .

"What is it , Mandy?" I aswered dutifully , with three guesses what it was ; had I done her homework , an insult , or if I could please leave the dorm for a bit so she could spend some time with normal people (although never as politely as that).  
"What's going on with you and Johnny Vincent ?"  
_What kind of creepy psyco-active weight-loss drug is she taking ?_I asked myself .  
"Nothing ." I replied calmly , returning to my notes .  
"Don't give me that . I saw you two talking!"  
"And?"  
"What do you mean "and"? You were talking to Johnny Vincent ! Johnny Vincent ! And you ! Talking !"  
"People have a tendency to talk every now and again ." I stated , trying to revise .  
_Let's see ... Lithium . Sodium . Potassium . Caesium . Rubidium ... Oh bugger , she's still talking ..._  
"Well?"  
"What?"  
"What's going on between you two ?"  
"Nothing ."  
"Fine . Christy !" she commanded her fellow cheerleader , who was by the desk babbling mindlessly down her mobile phone .  
"I'll call you back ." she promised snapping her phone closed . "What ?"  
"Johnny Vincent and Nerdy here were talking in the playground . Now she won't tell me why ." . Upon hearing this , the red-head's face lit up with an evil grin .  
"Really ? It's funny you should mention that , because the other day ..."

**Johnny's POV**

Darkness cloaked us with anonymity outside of Harrington House . The snow still fell silently around us , giving us plenty of ammunition . My friends and two of the nerds whispered secretively as we loaded the guns .  
"Who's going for the others ?" I asked , lodging another snowball into the gun I was holding . Norton dropped a freshly made snowball onto the pile .  
"I'll do it . Observatory?" he checked , looking at the two nerds present .  
"Yep . Except Beatrice - she's her dorm ." Bucky whispered , trying to ram another snowball into his gun .  
"Which dorm ?"  
"How should I know ? Just bang on the first window you come to . " Bucky advised , quickly realising that no amount of swearing at the gun would fit another icy bullet in . Ingesting the information , my lieutenant darted from sight with more grace than normal for a man his size . The people around me chatted animately , misty breath veling the night sky . The months of pranking and fights seemed to bring out the best of the nerds ; Vance liked Cornelius' quick wit , Thad's violent creations prevented Peanut from killing him , and Beatrice proved to be a good listener when needed , along with having a gentle disposition and a pleasant smile - _not that I took notice of her appearence or anything ._

**Beatrice's POV**

"You can't deny it now , Beatrice . I saw you two !"  
"Crap - I didn't know she had it in her ."  
"So how long's this been going on , Spotty?" . Another voice from the corner of the room joined the conversation .  
"Mandy ... " Zoe stated , pulling out one earphone ."I am trying ... to listen ... to Metallica . If you're smart , you will shut up so I can ."  
"But metal mouth was holding hands with a boy !" . The way Christy said it , you would think I'd had sex with him in the middle of the cafe (to be truthful , I was surprised she hadn't said something like that - Christy wasn't known for her honesty) . The townie , however , was far less impressed .  
"Firstly , she got the braces off ages ago , remember? Secondly unless it was Jimmy , I don't give a shit who she hangs out with . Now shut it ." she ordered , putting her earphone back in . She'd have had more luck telling the rain not to be wet . Glancing at the clock , I realised that the interrogation had gone on for over two hours . Realising that I had to shut the cheer-leaders up for both mine and Zoe's sanity , I stood up from my bed near the window .  
"Listen . I ... am ... not ... involved ... with ... Joh-"

Tap , tap , tap . The noise from next door's window continued for a minute or so before a muffled conversation began , ending with an irritated first year - I think it was Gloria - declaring "she's next door" before slamming the window back down .Three seconds later , the tapping began on our window . Without thinking , I opened it fully to see Norton , who immediately began speaking to me in a loud (unfortuanately loud enough for Mandy to hear) , steady voice .

"Beatrice , are you busy ? Johnny asked me to come get you ."

I have never wanted to murder anyone as much as I did when Mandy howling out of her microscopic mind with laughter .


	26. Chapter 25 Talking

**Hiya ! Thanks to anyone reading and to anyone reviewing this . I'm sorry about how long this took .**

**Chapter 25 - Talking**

**Melvin's POV**

Something was wrong with Beatrice . I couldn't my finger on it , but she seemed different in some way . For example , she kept smiling for no real reason in the strangest of situations (such as Biology - you know something's very wrong if your friend starts smiling while dissecting something ) , listening to Johnny's "bike talk" - which was pretty much a foreign language to the nerds - and mentioning little snippets of information about the bikes whenever we used them .

Eventually , it hit me like a wet fish (an expression of my mother's - don't ask) .

"Beatrice , can I ask you somthing ? " I requested in the library .  
"Of course you can . " my unsuspecting friend replied , putting her book down .  
"Do you like Johnny ? "  
"Yes , he's a nice boy . "  
"No , I mean do you like him ? " I enquired , working on the bizarre human belief that epeating something helps the penny drop .  
"I've just told you that . "_ Maybe I should shake her just this once .  
_"Oh for fu - are you infatuated with johnny Vincent ? " I demanded . At this , Beatrice pulled a face I recognised as meaning "Shit , they know my dark secret ! " before saying "No ! " in a manner as convincing as Lola taking a vow of chastity . Bucky picked up on this straight away .  
"Beatrice , you would be a useless politician . " he commented , closing his book .  
"Why ? "  
"Because your attempts to lie are more obvious than Edna's rapidly depleting sanity . "  
"I think by that standard I'd be quite a good ... I wasn't lying ! I'm not infatuated with Johnny Vincent . " my one female friend stated in the way you would if someone was holding a knife to your back to make you speak .  
"Are you sure on that ? "  
"Yes . "  
"Swear on Bucky . "  
"I'm not swearing on anyone . "  
"Why not ? "  
"Because ... Because ... Fine . I wish you wouldn't do that5 to me , Melvin . " she accused , sticking her bottom lip out in a childish manner .  
"If you would say "yes" in the first place then I wouldn't have to . So then ... "  
"So then , what ? "  
"Are you going to ask him out ? "  
"No ! "  
"You have to now . " Bucky stated .  
"Why ? "  
"Because if you don't , the next time we see them will be really awkward . "  
"And it won't be if he turns me down ? "  
"He won't . "  
"Melvin , have you seen Lola ? I'm hardly his type , am I ? " she admitted ruefully before standing up .  
"I have to go see Cornelius . Tell you what ... " she suggested . "If he asks me , i won't turn him down . Will that do ? " . I nodded , knowing that Beatrice would prefer to spend the rest of her life eating rats than have me press the matter any further . Smiling , she walked to the door .  
"Melvin ? " she ventured . her hand on the door knob .  
"Yes ? "  
"If you tell any of the greasers about this ... "  
"You'll force me to ingest my own testicles ? " I finished for her .  
"Exactly . " she agreed before vanishing out of the door .

**Peanut's POV**

Someone once said that it's alway's darkest before the dawn . They may have been onto something .

As the months passed , the rage began to simmer and bubble . Chuck in a few stinkbombs , arguements and feelings that didn't help , and you've served up an accident waiting to happen .

The first major fight in the clique unity was when I noticed Johnny giving off the warning signs ; smiling for no reason , talking to Beatrice for hours on end , "the look" if the nerd broad got pushed over in the playground . Eventually I got sick of the goo-goo eyes and asked him straight out the next time we were at the Autoshop .

"Do you fancy Beatrice ? " . The shade his face went told me all I needed to know .  
"N-No ! What gave you that idea ? " . At this point Vance piped up .  
"Well , Johnny , it could be for a number of reasons ; it could be because you notice when her spots clear up , because you speak to her for the longest we've ever heard you talking without using the word "Lola" , or it could be because I caught you oogling her legs the other day ."  
"I wasn't ogling ! "  
"You were . "  
"I was on the bike . I needed to steer ."  
"And how did drooling over Bea help you with that ? "  
"I - but ... you really wind me up sometimes , Vance . " he murmurred accusatively .

"It doesn't matter . She's probably with someone . Don't you think , Peanut ? " Norton breezed , hinting madly . Understanding his purpose , I played along .  
"Yeah Norton . It's not like she hasn't got guy friends , is it ? Although I get the idea Algie isn't her type . "  
"Yeah . It's a shame if no-one's asked her ."  
"Hmm . Bet she'd love a date with someone ."  
"Yeah , but who ? I mean , who likes her ? "  
"It's not going to work , Norton ."  
"What ? I'm just saying it's a shame . She's a nice broad ."  
"Hmm . Perhaps someone will . After all , there was someone i know oogling ."  
"I wasn't ..."  
"I never said it was you , I'm just saying that it's a shame ...  
"All right ! But if she turns me down ... "

"You'll feed us our own balls" me , Norton and Vance chorused , expecting the major threat which Johnny had been using for years . Smoothing his hair back quickly , he opened the door to see Beatrice a few metres away , her arms wrapped around Cornelius in what any reasonable person could see was an innocent hug between friends .

However , Johnny wasn't and never had been reasonable .


	27. Chapter 26 Doubt

**Hiya ! I'm sorry this has took a while , but I've been up to my eyeballs in exams and things at the moment . Hopefully this is OK . Reviews would be very much appreciated .**

**Disclaimer : I regret nothing except the fact that I own none of this .**

**Chapter 26 - Doubt**

**Norton's POV**

Greasers were fearless , right ? We could easily take on townies , preppies and anyone else who messed with us . We were in the middle of a clique-war with the trust-fund babies , and Johnny (with the help of a certain smart girl and her friends) had even managed to rid himself of his "queen" , a thorn in the side of the greasers since she'd met us .

Or were we all so brave ? You see , after the previous week's confession , my friend had yet to act on what he'd told us . Although to be fair to him , he had tried once .

By the time he got around to it , the last of the snow had began to thaw away . Beatrice wandered into the Auto-shop , her arms filled with glass flasks of suspicious green liquid .  
"Do you know where I can store these ? Watts ran out of room . " she said over the smooth fifties music that flowed through the room , several flasks threatening to drop to the floor . Immediately , Johnny grabbed a few from the nerd , exchanging a quick grin with her .  
"Will the spare locker do ? " he suggested , gesturing to the battered locker on the far right of the wall . Nodding , the nerd girl lined up the bottles on the bench with the same care she would if she'd been lining up atomic bombs that could have went off and killed us at any moment .  
"How did you get away with making all these ? " I asked , incredulous .  
"Dr . Watts thought I was Satan , so he told me to take what I wanted and leave him alone . " she replied calmly , fiddling with the lock . "Any ideas of the combination , Johnny ? "  
"Well , it was Lola's , so ..."  
"One second ... Yep , she uses the same combination for everything . " she smiled triumphantly after the locker swung open with a tiny clicking noise . Her smile was replaced by a serious expression . "By the way - talking of Lola , she was moaning to Zoe last night about how her and Tad have broke up ... I thought I should say something in case she comes over . " she explained , her eyes concerned behind her glasses .  
"I didn't know Lola and Zoe were friends . " Johnny commented after a moment of silence .  
"Apparently , neither did Zoe . " Beatrice answered with a slight smile .

_"Come on man , get on with it !"_ I ordered mentally .  
Having apparently heard me , my friend looked at the girl .  
"Beatrice ? " he ventured , looking more jumpy than a first year when Russell walked past .  
"Yes ? " the broad replied  
"Would ... Would you like to ... "  
"Johnny ! "

_"Oh this is just perfect ! "_ I thought as Lola waltzed in , making a beeline for Johnny .  
"Hello , Lola . " my friend mumbled , not taking his eyes away from Beatrice .  
"Nice to see you too , babe . Listen , there's a film on this evening and I was thinking ... " Lola began , flicking her brown hair about .  
"No thanks . "  
"Oh come on , babe . Surely you can pull yourself away from your ... " - she grimaced at Beatrice - "acquaintance . " . Noticing the look of annoyance on the nerd girl's face , I stepped forward from the bench .  
"He's not interested , broad . Get back to your rich boy ." Peanut ordered ,  
_"I hope the door whacks you on the way out ."_ I added silently .  
"I wasn't speaking to you , Peanut . " she snapped , before switching back to her sugar-sweet persona as she spoke to my best friend .  
"Johnny , Tad was sweet , but everything was so ... innocent . Besides , he could never compare to you ... "  
"That's not what you told Zoe at all . " Beatrice muttered , perhaps slightly louder than (or possibly not nearly as loud as) she meant to . Lola's pretty face twisted in anger , creasing her inch-thick make-up .  
"What did you say to me ? " she demanded . Obviously having heard Lola's venomous tone , Beatrice stepped back slightly , having enough sense to not utter a word .  
"Well , nerd ? What ... did ... you say ... to me ? " Lola interrogated , clenching her fists.  
"Leave it , Lola . " I stated warily , eyeing Beatrice's wary expression .  
"Well , then ? "  
"She can say what she likes , now move . "  
"Shut up , Peanut . "  
"Please leave him alone . " Beatrice whispered .  
"Unless you want to tell me what you said , shut up , Nerd . Why are you even here , anyway ? I didn't know Johnny was slumming it . " she added cruelly , circling Beatrice like a vulture about to rip her to pieces . "You really can pick them , Johnny . It's not like she hasn't got plenty of male friends . Christy said you were hugging Cornelius in the middle of the school the other day . Were you ? " . She said the word "friends" as though it was the most sordid thing in the world . However , judging from the tiny glint of doubt on Johnny's face , it had the desired effect .

"There's a difference between "friends" and "clients" . Don't judge everyone else by your own standards . " Beatrice muttered , glaring from behind her glasses .  
"Are you calling me a whore , nerd ? " Lola shouted . The argument about to occur flashing before me , relief oozed into my veins when Johnny stepped in front of Beatrice .  
"The door's over there , Lola . " he stated bluntly . Steam practically coming out of her ears , Lola flounced out of the door .

"She's got some nerve . " Beatrice commented five minutes after the trollop left . Despite nodding in response , doubt still flickered over Johnny's face like an old , projected slide . Having somehow squeezed all the flasks into the locker , the nerd girl walked out , leaving deafening silence behind .

"You don't think Beatrice would ... ? " Johnny began .  
"No ! " Vance protested . "You know what Lola's like - any excuse to cause problems . "  
"Hmm . That said , she was hugging Cornelius ... "  
"Girls hug their friends . Beside , I don't think Bea is exactly Cornelius' type , if you catch my drift . "

He didn't . The doubtful expression lasted for about five more minutes before he stood up , fastened his jacket and made his way to the door .  
"Johnny , where are you going ? " I asked , wondering if I should go after him .  
"I'm gonna go to speak to Hopkins . "

_Oh crap ._


	28. Chapter 27 Confessions

**Hiya ! Thanks to anyone still reading this , because I know how long this is taking . Reviews are very much appreciated , as is constructive critisism .**

**Italics are thoughts .**

**Chapter 27 - Confessions**

**Beatrice's POV**

I couldn't believe I hadn't seen it .

The rain drummed on the window of the library gently , the occasional flash of what I assumed was lightning (I learnt otherwise later) helping the dim light bulbs in the library to illuminate the room . Cornelius sat next to me , examining my face warily for my reaction to what he'd just told me . But I still couldn't believe it .

"Really ? " I checked , wondering if Edna's cooking had finally got to me and this was all just a figment of my imagination .  
"Yes . " my friend repeated , his face reddening as the conversation continued .  
"Vance ? As in the greaser Vance ? "  
"How many Vances do we know , Bea ? " Cornelius pointed out , his face returning to its normal shade .  
"Fair point . Still , why didn't you say anything ? It's not like we didn't know that you prefer guys . " I enquired .  
"Well , I wasn't sure at first . I figured it was maybe just the greaser bravado thing , but I've started talking to him and ... well , he seems cool . I really like him . You can understand that - I mean , you're a girl . "  
"Am I really ? That's an interesting development ! " I joked . My friend's lips twitched into a smile .  
"You know what I mean . You ... have feelings for guys . "  
"Every now and again ... " I admitted , feeling the warm blood rush to my cheeks under my skin .  
"You feel that way now , don't you ? " _Damn , is it that obvious ?_  
"Maybe . " I stated dismissively . "Have you said anything to Vance ? "  
"Is it Johnny ? I heard the guys on about it . " _The next time I see Melvin , I'm going to decapitate him with a wooden spoon and make it look like an accident . _  
"Well ... maybe just a tiny bit . "  
"It's all over your face , you little minx . " he teased affectionately , raising his fist in pretend anger before putting on a serious expression . "Are his intentions honourable ? " he asked in a low , gravelly voice that sounded a bit like my dad .  
"Firstly , you're one to talk about being a minx . Secondly , your impression was great , but my dad would say " He'd better not hurt you or I'll feed him his own unmentionables . " . Thirdly ,I don't know if he has any intentions . He wanted to ask me something the other day , but Lola walked in . Judging from her clothes - or more accurately , lack of - she was probably on her way to work . Anyway , it was probably homework or something . "  
"Greasers don't do homework . "  
"Of course they do . Have you talked to Vance , then ? "  
"He talked to me , actually . Asked if I wanted to go for a coffee . "  
"And what happened ? " I interogated , already guessing the answer from Cornelius' grin .  
"We went for a walk , had a chat about stuff and then we arranged to go again this evening . " my friend revealed , pride painted all over his face .  
"You lucky thing ! Good luck with it . " I congratulated as we stood up . Looking up at the window , Cornelius' book thudded to the floor . Snapping my head round , I nearly screamed . As clear and obvious as an explosion in the chemistry room was Jimmy Hopkins perched on a tree branch , clutching a camera . His shocked expression matched mine .

"Mrs Carvin ! " my friend shrieked even louder than he had when he discovered the rats last year . "There's a pervert outside ! ".

**Johnny's POV **

_Johnny , you're an idiot . _

Three days had flew by in a mix of fixing Hattrick's car and self-cursing since I'd made the arrangement with Jimmy . No sooner had I stepped out of the dorms than regret whacked me in the face .

The Auto-shop was painfully silent since I'd spoken to Jimmy . Almost everyone was gone ; Vance was getting ready for a date with some bloke (he thought it was his little secret) , Peanut was studying for a test and everyone else was out tagging , leaving me and Norton to fix cars for Neil (for a reasonable price) .

"Johnny , what the hell's up ? You look more miserable than when you were dating Lola , and that's saying something . " . Desperate to get it off my chest , the slightly altered story poured out of my mouth like poison .  
"Norton , say you've this friend named Ronny , and Ronny fancies this girl called Lee whose friends with this guy . But Ronny thought that Lee was dating this guy , so he asked this guy called Timmy to find out for him . Now Ronny feels like an arsehole because he's invading Lee's privacy , but he's already paid Timmy so Timmy's already started looking . What would you tell Ronny to do ? "  
"I'd say what the hell were you thinking , that you should've bloody asked her in the first place , that not every girl is like Lola and that if Beatrice finds out , she's going to castrate you . " my friend replied , his eyebrows raised almost to his hairline . Putting my tools down , I sank onto the bench behind us .  
"It's not just me then . I can't believe I actually listened to Lola . How do I let her keep manipulating me ? "  
"You can't blame entirely on Lola - even if she is a bitch . You're just going to have to hope Beatrice never finds out and think up a good excuse just in case . " Norton stated .

At this point , Beatrice herself came in .  
"You'll never guess what's just happened . " she stated , dropping her schoolbag on the bench as she sat down beside me . Whatever it was , her face was still incredulous from it . "Jimmy Hopkins was in the tree outside the library with a camera ... "

_Johnny , you're an idiot ._


	29. Chapter 28 Meddling

**Hiya! Someone requested I did Lola's POV, so hopefully I've managed it. Reviews would be very much appreciated.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Although I did think up the plot, so I guess I own that.**

**Chapter 28 - Meddling**

**Lola's POV**

_What do we have here , then ?_

The boy in front of me crept along , clutching his camera in both hands . The golden sun kissed the blushing pink flowers on the tree's arms, which fanned out under the pure , white clouds drifting along the bright sky .

As I smoothed out my new skirt (thankfully , dating preps wasn't totally pointless), this would have been totally normal except for a few little details; firstly , that the boy was Hopkins and secondly, I'd just seen him climbing out of a tree . The fact that a certain acquaintance of my ex(though hopefully not for much longer)-boyfriend was leaving the library, paired with Jimmy's cautious manner had "Johnny" written all over it .

"Hey Jimmy, " I smiled as he walked by . "Up to your old tricks, I see. "  
"I don't know what your talki ..."  
"Enough of the crap. " I cut him off bluntly before returning to my sweeter tone. "Working for a certain greaser I know, by any chance? Or perhaps you're just taking photographs off the ground for the fun of it?" I suggested , smirking a bit. The sixteen-year-old's worried face spoke volumes more than he did.  
"Ah, so Johnny's pulled that old stunt, has he?" I asked, remembering the beating Tad had received a few months ago. "Find anything?" . Jimmy shook his head .  
"Tell you what," I suggested , moving closer to him with a fluid movement. "Give me the camera, then tell Johnny you couldn't find her. I'm sure I can make it worth your while."  
"Sorry Lola , but thirty dollars is thirty dollars." he replied before walking off without a second glance, leaving my outstretched palm empty.

_"Damn! Maybe I'm losing my touch."_ I contemplated, walking back to the dorms. Thinking of Johnny, Tad and that stupid nerd girl who'd started hanging around the Auto-shop like a bad smell only succeeded in irritating me until I wanted to gounge something's eyes out.  
_"How could I lose Johnny to someone like that? Talk about a downgrade."_ I thought, creating various tortures for the bitch as I turned the handle to the bedroom I shared with Angie, Eunice (urgh!) and a blond first year who I got on quite well with - the little kids weren't old enough or involved enough to form much prejudice against anyone. Thankfully, no-one was present to witness me seething, the angriest thoughts spewing out of my lips like bile.

However, the second I flopped down on my bed, sharp, loud voices pounding through the wall told me that the various agonies I had imagined weren't necessary. After about ten seconds of private rage before I stormed out of my dorm into the next room...

**Zoe's POV**

_What have these posers got against quiet?_  
"Well then?"  
"Where were you, Beatrice?"  
"Isn't that obvious? Where's she been every other day?"  
"Why do you care?" I sighed, wondering if twenty minutes of Mandy's mindless babble was legal grounds to kill her.  
"Keep out of it, Zoe." the head cheer-leader snapped, offended that I could possibly be apathetic about events that didn't involve me. Losing hope, I turned my CD player up to full volume, almost deafening myself in the process. Once I turned the music to a level that wouldn't make my ears bleed, I heard the noisy click of high heels on the wooden floor, sickly perfume scratching my throat as I inhaled.

"Will you shut up, Mandy?" Lola demanded, barging into the room. Unfazed, the cheer-leader turned round, hands on her hips in a typical model pose. Beatrice stared blankly at the open book she'd been trying to read for the duration of the interrogation. A surprising frown formed on her face as Mandy's attention shifted.  
"Who asked you, tramp? I'll talk to Spotty if I want to. "  
"Shut your mouth, Mandy dear, or I may decide to rearrange that pretty face of yours." the intruder advised, her voice dripping with venom.  
"You seem very defensive towards someone we've seen out with your ex " Christy piped up, eager to start trouble for the nerd. Doesn't she have her own life to talk about? The greaser sashayed past the two cheer-leaders to Beatrice's bed.  
"So, still screwing about with Johnny, are you? Although given your friends, I suppose it's no shock you'd suck up to some normal people. "  
"Ouch." Christy muttered.  
This final comment seemed to do it. After almost of half an hour of silent suffering, Beatrice stood up, staring coldly at Lola.  
"I'm not screwing about with or sucking up to anyone. " she declared, her tone shaky despite the certainty of her words.  
"Liar. I wouldn't expect anything different from your type. " the greaser accused, emphasising the last words by jabbing the nerd's shoulder with a painted red talon. "We all know the nerds are sneaky wastes of space. Every. Last. One." .This was punctuated with a shove at each pause. The nerd girl stumbled back slightly, but managed to stay stood up. Her eyes shone with fury.  
"How can you ,of all people, call us that? At least we don't use everyone who ever comes into contact with us!"  
"Oh please. You don't know anything about me..."  
"Famous last words. "Mandy cut in.  
"Don't I? Because I know that you only date men for what they can give you. I know that you treat Johnny like an insurance policy, crawling back when no-one else wants you! I know that the greasers seem much happier when they don't have to worry about you whoring yourself out to anyone who asks!" Beatrice contradicted, her voice rising to a volume dangerous enough to silence Mandy's commentating.

The greaser stepped forward, her face smug under thick foundation.  
"Did you know that he's paying Hopkins to spy on you?" she smirked, enquiring just loud enough for the entire room to hear. Beatrice's expression changed to uncertainty for a split second before returning to fury.  
"If you fall any lower, you'll be underground, Lola." Beatrice commented. "Johnny has no reason to care about my private life. The nerds have an arrangement with the greasers, but we are nothing more than friends."  
"Don't play innocent with me, sweetie." Lola demanded, somehow making the soft name sound like an insult. "Do you think you're fooling anyone with "just friends"? This is the only time I'm going to tell you- keep away from Johnny."  
"What makes you think you have any choice in who he talks to?"  
Smack.  
Slap. 

Lola raised her hand to her unblemished cheek, her brown eyes wide with shock as she glared at the nerd.  
"You bitch."  
"You hit me much harder." the nerd replied, her point proved by the few drops of blood running down her cheeck from where Lola had dug her long fingernails in the skin. For some reason, Lola didn't consider this reasonable justification.  
"Just you wait and see what you're getting yourself in for..." the greaser warned, before flouncing out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

"Angie is going to be so pissed when she finds out she missed this." Christy whispered.


	30. Chapter 29 Problems

**Hiya! I know this chapter is really short, but hopefully the next one should be longer.**

**Italics are thoughts or writing.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 29 - Problems**

**Johnny's POV**

_Johnny,_

_$30_

_Here's your evidence. It all looks pretty innocent, if you ask me._

_Jimmy._

As I examined the first picture, I couldn't help agreeing- smiling down at their books, it was impossible to imagine Cornelius as anything but Beatrice's friend. The second picture, showing the two nerds dawdling across the playground with the rest of their clique, laughing at some silent joke, brought me to the same conclusion. The same went for the rest of the photos. I rested my forehead on my knuckles, quite tempted to punch myself.

_"Johnny, you prick! How could you seriously let Lola take you for a ride again? She's not even dating you anymore and you still let her mess with your head! You really are an idiot. Beatrice is never going to speak to you again if she finds out. Seriously, you finally rid yourself of that tramp and she still has you still drink in her every word like beer!"_

_"You could have ignored her." _Reason's voice whispered, somehow making me feel worse than the self-abuse had._"Even Russell could see that Lola's nothing but trouble. Beatrice would've told you the truth if you'd asked instead of sticking your nose in her private life. Sure, it might have been a bit awkward, but at least you'd have got the truth and probably could've been dating her for a week by now. Perhaps, if you can keep this quiet, you can have a chance with a woman other than Lola... a better woman..."_

Normally I would have heard every step on the floor, each note blaring from the old radio. Sadly while I was wrapped up in remorse , I didn't notice the footsteps behind me, the dull thud of a schoolbag on the bench, the soft strands of blond hair dangling by my ear, or the soft, high gasp until it was far too late.

"What the hell is this?" a confused, offended voice asked . I spun around to discover Beatrice staring at the photos, a look of confused rage on her face.  
"Lola was right!" she half-asked, half realised, grabbing her bag and darting gracelessly out of the Auto-shop. _Lola? Shit, what have I done?_  
"Wait!". Instead of listening to my plea as I ran after her, she sped up, almost tripping over her own feet by barely stopping to touch the floor. Eventually I managed to catch up just outside of the library.  
"Listen, I know I shouldn't have done it, but I didn't know if you two were dating. I felt weird asking you..."  
"So you paid someone to find out for you! Why do you even care? Johnny, in case you haven't noticed, I am not exactly Cornelius' type. I have never been his type. In fact, if I was the only woman alive on the Earth, I still wouldn't be his type!"  
"Why not?"I demanded, as she grabbed the handle of the library.

The scene in front of us was not the empty library I was expecting. I'd known very well that Vance had a new boyfriend, but he had yet to tell us who. However, the fact that his lips were pressed against Cornelius' cheek was a pretty big giveaway. Looking at Beatrice's expression, I had never felt more of a bastard in my life.  
"Well, I guess that answers your question." she choked, the hurt in her blue eyes threatening to overflow. The guilt twisting in my gut, I put a hand on her shoulder, starting to apologise.  
"Bea , I'm so sor..."  
"Don't bother." she mumbled, jerking her shoulder from under my hand before darting out of sight.


	31. Chapter 30 Choices

**Hiya! I'm sorry the last chapter was so short, but this is considerably longer. Thank you to all of the people reading or reviewing this. Reviews and constructive critism are very much appreciated.**

**By the way, I will be using some ideas from the list in this chapter,so if anyone has a preference then please let me know via review or email.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bully or any of its characters.**

**Lola: Thank God.**

**Me: Shut up, slag.**

**Christy: Ha! You just got told off by the author.**

**Lola: When did you pop up?**

**Christy: It's a little talent of mine. How do you think I get all my gossip?**

**Lola: A sad, sick, scary imagination?**

**Me: Can you two please bitch in private so that I don't decide to write you both out in a freak yacht accident in which there are no survivors? Anyway, on with the chapter.**

**Chapter 30 - Methods**

**Bucky's POV**

Beatrice wasn't happy.

She didn't tell us that she was miserable, but she said it in other ways; her eyes were dull with pain, her face unsmiling, her voice soft and shaking. Whatever sadness had filled my friends during my hospitalisation, a similar sympathy tore through me at seeing Beatrice so miserable. After a very interesting conversation with Cornelius the next day, we discovered that- thanks to Johnny Vincent- Beatrice's private life hadn't exactly been private. Consequently, I resolved to go rip him a metaphorical new one.

The Auto-shop was silent that day. Usually, long-dead cars roared to life over the gold-voiced rockers crooning from the radio whilst jacket-wearing teenagers spoke of glories such as the cry of a wounded prep or the song of a car's engine. Today, however, silence pervaded the air like toxic fumes. Instead of a group of friends, a lone, brown-haired boy sat on the bench, his fingers in his hair. Not noticing me in his distressed state, he remained mumbling obscenities to himself.

"Johnny." I stated .The greaser stood up with a jolt.  
"Hey, Bucky." he replied uncertainly."Is Bea alright?"  
"She's been better."  
"Shit. She's never gonna forgive me for this, not that I blame her." the greaser muttered, dropping back down to the bench. He didn't seem to be in a much better state than my friend; the normally combed hair was a mess and he was swearing at forty obscenities a second. I stepped forward to offer some comfort, since now the nerds and greasers were unlikely allies after months of constant company.  
"She's forgiven us for much worse.". This was the truth- if you got Beatrice angry, she tended to simmer a bit before cooling down, rather than reaching boiling point and seriously harming someone.  
"You weren't there. She looked like she was gonna break down! I've been such a bastard."  
"You weren't there yesterday when she burst into the Observatory crying her eyes out for a good hour. Do you honestly think she would have been that offended if, say, Mandy had been spying on her?"  
"I don't know... An hour? Fuck, I've really screwed up, haven't I?"  
"An apology would be a good idea."  
"I tried, but she ran off before I could explain. There's a letter in her locker." he replied. Deciding not to mention that Beatrice only uses her locker once every three billion years, I checked my theory about his motives. "Johnny... why did you care who she dates in the first place?" I enquired pointlessly (there weren't many reasons I could think of). He flailed about for a bit, searching for a decent excuse before groaning in defeat.  
"I... I like her, OK? I was going gonna ask her out, although I guess that's not very likely now." he admitted ruefully, resting his head in his hands. "I've made such a mess of this. What the hell do to make her see how sorry I am?"

Feeling some small happiness that the greaser's feelings mirrored my friend's, an idea struck me.  
"If I help you, would you do anything like that again?" I checked. The greaser looked at me like I'd asked him if he liked Aquaberry.  
"Of course not!" he promised. I took a deep breath. _Well, if it might cheer them both up a bit..._  
"I'll see what I can do, then."

**Peanut's POV**

Johnny wasn't happy.

He hadn't explicitly said it, but it wasn't hard to tell. Once Norton commented that a certain nerd hadn't spoken to him for days, a light switched on in my brain.

My first impression of the Observatory was that it wasn't that different to the Autoshop. Banging echoed through the room at random intervals. The brick walls were sprayed with green patches, ghostly writing still visible underneath. Scarlett red and sunny yellow streaked the sky outside like paint across a canvas. The afternoon sunlight poured into the room.

I soon found the source of the constant banging - a familiar girl held a make-shift gun in both hands, firing at random parts of the wall, particularly "Up to much?" I asked.  
"Practicing my aim." the nerd replied in a soft, sad mumble. At that moment, a potato bounced onto the poster, whacking Ted's chest.  
"Well done." I congratulated.  
"I was aiming for his head." the girl an attempt to destroy the silence, I changed the subject.  
"You must be getting really bored with that. Have you got your chemistry book?"  
"I've read it today."  
"Spoke to the guys?"  
"They're having a game meeting."  
"Seen Johnny?"

Bea went very quiet.  
"You know that avoiding him won't make things better?" I pointed out.  
"I know," she sighed, "But what does he want me to say? "It's absolutely fine that you poked around in my private life. Read my diary if you like. I'm not at all mad.". He knows as well as I do that he shouldn't have done it. What has my private life got to do with him, anyway?"  
"I... don't know. Do you hate him?". She hesitated before answering.  
"Can I be honest?"  
"Sure"  
"No, I don't. He gets me so angry that I want to whack him over the head with something, but I don't hate him."  
"Um... do you like him?"  
"...I don't want to talk about it" _Yes, then_ ."I won't just ignore him disregarding my privacy."  
"OK... I've gotta go. Thanks for your time."

**Johnny's POV**

Tap,tap,tap.

The blond girl at the door wasn't the one I was hoping for - she was a good foot shorter and a few years younger.

"One of the nerd boys asked me to bring this. And the other boys asked me to tell you that they're only bleeping bleping helping you because their friend is unhappy , and that if you bleeping hurt her, he will personally rip off your bleeps and shove them so far up your bleep that you'll be bleeping them out in a bleeping month's time." she squeaked, holding out a folded piece of lined paper.  
"Thanks." I muttered, slightly surprised that the nerds would say that in front of a first year.

Once the door shut, I dumped myself down on the bench, unfolding the paper:

_"Methods that might make Beatrice forgive you_

_1. Subliminal Messaging(If you decide on this, let us know) .  
Pro- She might not notice._  
_Con- Risks her realising and getting even more annoyed because we tried to influence her._

_2. Hang outside her dorm until she does.  
Pro- If all else fails, you can threaten to wake Christy up._  
_Con- A bit creepy and very cliched. Shakespeare's already done it (use as last resort)_

_3. Grovel.  
__Pro- Might work._  
_Con- She may assume that you aren't actually sorry that you spyed, but instead that she caught you._

_4. Be very nice to her._  
_Pro- Makes your apology a bit more believable._  
_Con- She may feel that you are brown-nosing and not listen to you._

_5. Nothing.  
Pro- She will forgive you eventually._  
_Con- You will probably die of old age before she does."_

_"This is not good."_

**If anyone has a prefered choice, then please let me know. There isa poll up on my profile page.**


	32. Chapter 31 Reconciling

**Hiya! i know this chapter took a while and is quite short, but I've been running around like a mad woman on Lucozade getting ready for my prom.**

**Disclaimer: I own not as a pixel of Bullworth or the characters. Sadly.**

**Chapter 31 - Reconciling**

I squinted behind my glasses, the spring sunlight burning through the window pane. Screams slipped through the open window:

"Pauper!"  
"Trust-fund turd!"  
"I can't wait until we're out of this dump and you'reserving my housemaid at the supermaket!"  
"I'm surprised she hasn't gone out of her head from putting up with you! Besides, at least I don't need babying by some unlucky woman who probably doesn't get half the pay she deserves!"  
"Oily Rapscallion!"  
"Cousin fucking parasite!"  
"Mr. Romani!" a shrewd voice shrieked."You should be ashamed of yourself!"

_"Well done, Peanut."_I smiled to myself, leaning out of the window as Mrs. Peabody attempted (without success) to drag him and Bryce Montrose apart. _"Johnny would be proud."_

_Damn. you just can't help yourself, can you?"_I scolded, noticing my sub-conscious mistake._"Stop thinking about him-you'll only depress yourself."_

The blinding sunlight bounced off the locker door as the stubborn door refused to budge . That stupid had been nothing but trouble that week- after finding a huge dent on it and three pages of apologies from a certain greaser, I was quite tempted to switch with someone.  
"Open, you foul contraption!" i ordered mentally, yanking the door back as hard as possible for a puny sixteen year old girl. For some reason, the door felt this was a brilliant time to become totally loose, causing my arm to jerk back at lightning speed, right into some poor kid's arm. An apology tumbling out of my mouth, I spun around to find myself face to face with Johnny vincent.

**Johnny's POV**

Thump.

A scrawny elbow smashed into my arm as I wandered by.  
"I'm so sorry..."  
"Watch i- Bea?".

She seemed different to when I'd seen her before I screwed up; her small, pink mouth was unsmiling and her blue eyes were dull. A pang of guilt slapped me in the face.  
"Um... sorry." she mumbled, her voice calmer than before.  
"It's fine... Did you get my letter?" I asked, not sure which answer I was hoping for. She nodded.  
"Both of them.". The conversation withered and died within half a second.

_"__Well, at least she hasn't ran off like last time."_ i comforted myself, gazing at her face in an attempt to guess what she was thinking. unable to figure her feelings out, i took a deep breath.

"Bea, listen. I'm really sorry for what I did. It was a really dumb thing to do. Will you forgive me?" I pleaded, searching her eyes for some ounce of understanding. She stared at the floor for a moment before speaking.  
"Two conditions; promise me you won't do it again and tell me why you did it." she stated.  
"I won't do it again." I agreed,"But your friend's over there so can the explanation wait a while?". She snapped her head round to where Christy was muttering some not-secret-anymore half-truth to Angie Ng.  
"Fair enough." she sighed, smiling. "I'm glad we're friends again.". The words floated through my ears like a sweet symphony. Ecstatic to be back on her good side, I put a hand on her shoulder, gazing down at her sparkling, happy eyes. My guilt evaporated as her lips twitched into a grin.  
"I missed you too, Bea."


	33. Chapter 32 Interfering

**Hiya! I'm sorry if this took a while, but I've been a bit busy to all you lovely people reading this. If anyone notices Sue tendencies or wants to voice an opinion, then any reviews are really appreciated, as writers can't improve without criticism.**

**Italics are thoughts as always.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bully or any of its characters. If I did, the nerds and greasers would have a lot more screen time and Jimmy would probably be wiped from the game.**

**Chapter 32- Interfering**

**Derby's POV**

The canteen was full of idiots as usual. The food was inedible like any other day. I was sat between my future(slightly reluctant) bride and my best friend. But that day there was one slight difference.

_"Where on Earth is that boy?"_ I wondered, eyeing the empty seat where Tad would normally be. The second the thought entered my head, my nouveau riche friend bounced through the door, his gormless face bearing a red smear and an almost drunken expression.

"Tad, you're late here, you have lipstick on your cheek and you grinning like a lunatic. What happened?"  
"I think that's fairly obvious, Derby." Gord remarked. "It must have something to do with you and Lola getting back together a few nights ago, am I right?"  
"Again?" Bryce commented loudly, his eyes wide with shock."Honestly, that girl's legs are open and shut like a pair of scissors!"  
"There are ladies present, Bryce." I scolded, pulling Pinky closer to me. She opened her mouth to make a catty statement before thinking betterof it, wrapping an arm around my shoulder as her grimace lessened into a slight smile.  
"Spill the beans, then." she coaxed, gazing expectantly at my friend.  
"I'm late here because I was on a date with Lola. I have lipstick on my shirt for the same reason. I'm grinning like a lunatic because I believe I have found out something that might give us a hand in planning the downfall of the greasers." he announced with the grand manner of someone who had found the secret to immortality or bought out a major corporation."You see, a little bird told me that a certain greaseball is getting suspiciously close to a certain nerd we know." Seven jaws hit the table simultaneously.

"Really? That would explain what the girls told me about Lola's little fight in the girl's dorm a while ago."  
"There was a catfight and you didn't tell me?" Gord shrieked slightly, his face as though she had slapped him.  
"To be fair, I found this out from Christy. For all I know, it didn't happen." my betrothed explained defensively.  
"What events are actually meant to have occured?" Parker cut in.  
"Well from what I was told, Lola came in being a total bitch to Beatrice. Then Beatrice said that at least she didn't use people. Then Lola said that Beatrice didn't know anything about her.  
"Famous last words." I commented.  
"That's exactly what Mandy said. Anyway, Beatrice said that the greasers were better off without her, and this is the really juicy part..."  
"Ooh, delicious gossip! Carry on, darling!" Gord squeaked, clasping his hands together.  
"Well," she paused, glancing at each of us individually."Lola told Beatrice that Vincent was paying Jimmy Hopkins to spy on her and ordered Beatrice to stay away from Johnny. Beatrice told her that she was lying and who Johnny Vincent talked to had nothing to do with her, so Lola slapped her. Then Beatrice slapped her back! Can you believe that? I didn't think she had it in her."  
"Oh, this could only get better if it was smothered in chocolate and wrapped in Aquaberry!" Gord beamed. Perplexed, Bif locked his eyes onto Tad.  
"Still, a nerd and a greaser? They don't look like much of a couple." he stated uncertainly.  
"Well." Pinky explained before Tad had the chance to open his mouth, "Christy said they've had a big argument. Apparently, they haven't talked for over a week. It's no coincidence that they've both been miserable recently."

We sat quietly for a few moments before my web-toed friend spoke.  
"Thank you for that, Pinky. Anyway, between what Lola and the lovely Miss Gauthier have told us, then the longer those two aren't talking, the shakier the greasers are. The shakier the greasers are, the easier they'll be to knock down. We just need to keep the gap from closing up. We can do this by..."  
"I'm going to have to stop you there, Tad." Parker butt in, pointing over my shoulder. Turning round, the first thing I saw was the greaser "king"_(how pretentious can you get?)_ with his eyes locked onto those of the gangly nerd girl's, unknown babbling escaping his lips. Besides a slight yet distinct longing look tinting the greaseball's expression or the nerd's caring gaze, there was little evidence of any existing relationship between them, but both were smiling with genuine delight at each other's company. Whatever dispute had occured, it wasn't going on any longer.

_"Well, "bang!" goes that idea!"_

**Beatrice's POV**

The Auto-shop was unusually quiet today for a few reasons; Peanut was having little success fixing the radio, Vance and Cornelius were contentto sit silently in each other's arms, and the conversation pretty much went on holiday to New Zealand thanks to the one topic that had beenhaunting me since Johnny had apologised.  
"You still haven't given me that explaination we agreed on." I ventured, regretting it instantly. All noise evaporated from the room. Johnny's face creased slightly with worry.  
"I know." he managed after about half a minute._No going back now..._  
"When are you going to tell me?"  
"Well... it's Friday tommorrow, so I can't tell you in the morning because we're in different classes... and I'm taking my bike down the beach tomorrow night to try out my new parts, so I could tell you on..."

At this moment, Cornelius managed to shift his concentration from Vance to Johnny.  
"Beatrice isn't doing anything tommorrow night." he interrupted, winking at Peanut  
_"What!"_  
"Well, she could always go down the beach with Johnny to give him someone to talk to. Besides, I think he'd sooner explain privately, wouldn't you?" Peanut suggested, glancing not-very-innocently at his the greaser.  
_"I'm going to kill you both!"_  
"I guess." Johnny shrugged after ten seconds of total silence, his face redder than the BMX bike behind him. Glaring at his second-in-command, he turned to me.  
"Umm... is eight good for you?" he asked, smoothing his hair back. Despite the blank expression masking his face, his brown eyes were tinted with a nervous, even pleading look.  
"Er... Yeah... I think that should be fine... I'll meet you at the gates?"  
"Yeah... that's great." the greaser "king" agreed, smiling slightly.  
"Well, now that's out of the way." Cornelius grinned, nodding triumphantly at the other two greasers before the conversation resumed as though the supremely awkward arrangement was merely created in my imagination. However, the random, manic grins flickering on three certain faces told me otherwise.

_"I wonder what the minimum sentance for tripple homcide is?"_


	34. Chapter 33 Eavesdropping

**Hiya! Thanks to everyone still reading this. I'm also considering an idea for a new story, so could someone please have a quick look at the poll up on my profile? Thanks.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 33 - Eavesdropping**

**Pinky's POV**

The Library was almost as plain as the Auto-shop had been on the unfortunate occasions I had been forced to take Shop. There were no oil paintings of famous ancestors on the walls, no ornaments unless you counted the heavy, leather-bound books the two of us were hidden behind, not even curtains to dim the glaring afternoon light.

"This is so demeaning." I sighed, peering from behind the bookshelf.  
"Shush, Pinky. Do you want them to see us?" pleaded Gord in a ridiculous fake accent. _Honestly, of the billions of things I could be doing, I'm stuck with this idiot! We all know he's american._  
"Gord, we're the only people here with an ounce of class or dress sense. Do you really think we don't stick out anyway?"  
"Well, at least we look better by comparison. Anyway, if you'd rather tell Derby that we were caught..."  
"Fair point. Now shut up, or they'll hear us!".The moment I finished my sentence, a certain nerd blundered into the library, closely followed by her friend.

"Are you looking forward to your date?". He sounded more excited by the whole thing than she did.  
"It's not a "date", Cornelius, just a meeting between friends." she explained for what was probably the umpteenth time, judging by her martyred expression.  
"Sure... A meeting between a boy and a girl while no one else is present, on the beach, at night..."  
"As friends."  
"A friend you just happen to like...".I didn't need to look at Beatrice to realise that any blood in the nerd's body had gone straight to her cheeks.  
"All right, I'll give you that, but that doesn't make it a date any more than sharing the bikes after the tagging last week. How did you get enough paint to write "Duplicitous neanderthal" on Harrington House last week, by the way?"  
"Why you -mph!" Gord was cut off by my hand. Even if the slur was underneath his window, it wasn't worth getting caught for.  
"Quiet!" I ordered silently, my heart racing- _what innocent reason would a prep have to be in what was now enemy territory, especially when there was now a huge bookshelf in Harrington House?_The blood froze in my veins as Beatrice stepped towards us.  
"Did you hear something, Cornelius?" she asked, stepping towards our hiding place.  
"Don't go off topic. You can't avoid telling me that easily, my girl." the drama-loving boy teased, pulling a book off the shelf off one of the huge shelves.  
"There's nothing to tell. Johnny owes me an explanation..."  
"And he couldn't explain in front of us?"  
"I don't see why not, but someone thought otherwise."  
"I don't see why this date is a problem. Don't you like him?"  
"I... yes, of course I do. But like I said, it isn't a date." she repeated in a tone a little too defensive to be believable. Instantly afterwards, the door of the library swung open with a groan.  
"Tell him that, then." Cornelius challenged, his eyebrows raised slightly

Sure enough, none other than the greaser strode into the library, looking almost as conspicuous as us as he made a beeline for the two nerds.  
"Um... Hi, Johnny. W-What brings you here?" Beatrice managed to stutter out. _"Oh, pull yourself together, woman!"_. The greaseball didn't seem much better; his brown eyes focused on Beatrice as though they'd never seen another human being before, his hands were shoved in his pockets, and it seemed that Beatrice wasn't the only one having problems stringing a sentence together.  
"Hi Bea. I, um... I was wondering if tonight was still on?"  
"Um, I don't see why not. Is eight by the school gates still good for you?"  
"Er... yeah, that's great! See you then..." he allowed his sentance to drift off before scurrying out of the library like a frightened animal. Smirking, Cornelius turned to the gangly nerd.  
"He sounded happy..."  
"Don't you say a word, Cornelius. Are you coming to the Observatory?"  
"Why not? I don't need to meet Vance until seven."  
_"Are greaser/nerd relationships the new thing for poor people to do or something?"_

A few minutes after they left, I stepped out from behind the bookshelf to make a beeline for the door.  
"What do they see in each other?" I wondered aloud, happy to be speak at normal volume now they were gone.  
"Well, they're both loyal, both trash and both like inflicting pain on preps, so you can pick anyone of those. Whatever it was, Derby will be very pleased to hear the effect they have on each other." he replied. As we approached the House, where my involuntary fiance was stood outside, a strange, sinister expression on his face.

_"Why do I get the feeling that a quiet night is out of the question?"_

**Derby's POV**

The broken lights outdoors winked at us as we leaned against the front wall of Harrington House. The evening breeze shook the tree blossoms furiously, causing some of the leaves to fall dying to the floor. For once, even my fiancé seemed happy in my presence, if only because she'd had plenty to tell her mindless cheer-leader friends. Glancing at each of my friends to check that everyone was there, I began checking the details yet again.

"When did you say, Tad?"  
"Eight o'clock tonight, Derby."  
"Perfect. From what Pinky has told us, it's vital to ensure tonight is... memorable for those paupers. Gentlemen, you all need to get yourselves to the beach house tonight, because if their little outing goes smoothly, then things are going to hit the proverbial fan for us." I ordered before explaining in detail.

Once I had finished, there was a moments of silence to allow questions.  
"So, basically we're going to spend tonight committing sabotage?" Bif clarified, smirking in the knowledge of the greaser's impending misfortune. Grinning, several ideas ran into my head, none of them pleasant from the grease-ball's perspective.  
"Exactly."


	35. Chapter 34 Interuptted

**Hiya! I'm sorry that this took a while, but I've been up to all sorts this week, so I haven't spent a tremendous amount of time on writing.**

**Italics are thoughts, as always **

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bully, then Beatrice and Johnny would be a couple in the original game. Sadly I don't, so anyone who likes Beatrice/Johnny has to settle for this. **

**Chapter 34- Interrupted **

**Johnny's POV **

The stars flickered in the black sky uncertainly while the trees cast odd shadows from the street lights that some random idiot hadn't smashed. The school entrance was even more daunting than the first time I'd seen it as an eleven year old kid.  
_"Hurry up!"_ I pleaded mentally, walking up and down outside the school gates. Almost on cue, the nerd showed up.

Beatrice looked nicer without the uniform I normally saw her in; the blue dress replacing the astronomy club clothes suited her delicate frame well, and her dark blond hair was down, framing her face. Her eyes sparkled in the dim light now that she wasn't wearing her glasses.  
"Sorry if I'm a bit late- I couldn't find my spray anywhere." she explained, holding up the familiar red container as proof.  
"You still carry that?" I commented, glacing at the "candy spray" dangling between the girl's fingers.  
"Yes."  
"Don't you trust me?" I joked.  
"Of course I do, you silly boy," she teased, her lips turned upwards into a smile."But the preps all seemed very happy recently, so there's no harm in being careful. Anyway, have you got the bike ready?"  
"Yep." I grinned, gesturing towards the BMX I'd spent the afternoon tuning."You look nice, by the way." Perhaps it was just the dark playing tricks on me, but I was almost sure that she went red at the compliment.

After a few minutes chatting about day-to-day stuff while I peddled, we arrived at the beach.

_Here comes the most awkward night of my life..._

**Pinky's POV **

"...Stay here, Darling. I'm not having you near that greaseball. The boys can keep you company until I get back."  
_"How typical of you to think I can't take care of myself. And yet Tad is allowed to go!"_ Thankfully, a splendid idea cret into my head a few moments later as Derby droned on.  
"Fine, I won't go with you." I sighed, pulling a martyred expression. Smiling triumphantly

The second the young harrington had vanished into the grand House, I whipped out my mobile._ Well, Derby only said I wasn't to go with him..._ Congratulating myself on the thought, I jabbed out the number of the one person I knew would kill her own mother in cold blood for the gossip she'd obtain by accompanying me.  
"Christy? You'll never guess what's happening at the beach..."

**Beatrice's POV**

"Can you believe that?"  
"Well, you know what Tad's like." I pointed out. Without warning, the reason behind being at the beach whacked me at full force."_If I don't bring it up now, then I'll never find out._"

"Johnny," I ventured. "Do you remember why we came down here?"  
"Because our friends can't keep out of our business?" he guessed jokingly.  
"Partly. Do you remember what we needed to talk about?". Silence screeched through the air.  
"Yeah." he admitted ruefully. His grin was replaced by a grave, troubled frown."Listen, I know I shouldn't have done it, Bea. The truth is... I wanted to know if you were with anyone because... because... alikya." he mumbled, saying the words as if they were lodged in his throat. _"What?"_  
"Pardon?Sorry, but you said that to quickly for me to-"  
"I said I like you!" he repeated slightly louder than before, standing up.  
"I know that you like me, or you wouldn't be friends with me, but why would that...". Suddenly, the truth slapped me in the face."Oh... it's not the kind of like I was talking about, is it?"  
"Finally worked it out." Johnny agreed.

Realising my opportunity, I stood up to face the greaser, what I wanted to say thought out exactly. Unfortunately, whatever Johnny had felt was contagious- the second my eyes made contact with his, the words evaporated.  
"Please say something."  
_"Think of something to say! Think of something to say, brain!"_  
"Um...How long have you...?"  
"About two or three months." _Two months! You idiot, Beatrice!"_  
"And... are you sure?"  
"Bea, do you think I'd be here if I wasn't?"  
A slight laugh escaped my mouth at my own ignorance.  
"You're laughing at me?" he asked, pain ripping through his voice.  
"Of course not. I'm laughing... because Cornelius kept calling tonight a date, saying that I liked you, and I told him that you didn't like me romantically.". He calmed down slightly at this explaination.  
"Oh. And...?"  
"And what?"  
"Was he right? Do you like me?"  
I hesitated for a moment to consider what he was asking me. Wherever I searched through my brain, there was only one word I could find. Grabbing his hand, I took a deep breath of the warm night air.  
"Yes."

**Pinky's POV**

"Christy, keep back!" I hissed at the redhead, tugging her back behind the safety of the wall.  
"Pinky, this is the gossip of the century! Why did you phone me if- Oh... my God"  
What we saw next is not something I want to describe past the words "Nerd", "Johnny" and "Kissing". Before I even had a second to voice my shock, I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"Pinky!" an english accent exclaimed, causing me turn around immediately. There stood Derby, his blond hair a mess from the bike ride here and a look of utter annoyance on his face. Tad and Bif stood behind him, Tad with a such a self-satisfied smirk on his face that I could almost hear the "can't even even get his fianc to listen to him" remark brewing in the boy's minds.  
"Gentlemen, go on without me." Derby ordered before turning his attention back to me. "Darling, this isn't a good place for you to be. What if this gets out of hand?"  
"It won't get out of hand between a grand total of four boys."  
"Pinky, please... stay here, and I'll take you home when this is finished."  
"But-"  
"Never mind "but". I'll be back in ten minutes." he cut in, kissing my cheek lightly before striding towards the odd couple (who had managed to drag their mouths apart and were now walking back up the pier).

The next ten minutes included several sights that I shall never forget; my fiance's fist smashing into the greaser's face, Derby doubled over in pain after a swift punch to the stomach; Bif with both hands to his face in howling agony due to what looked like a candy spray in the nerd's hands; Johnny pulling Beatrice onto the front of his bike before speeding off into the darkness, leaving my fianc and his friends to pick themselves up. Once Derby had finally collected himself, he strode back to me, acting as though the punches hadn't hurt him at all. As I took in the bruise on his cheek and the hand clutching his stomach, the comment that had been brewing in my head poured out:

"And I can't look after myself?"


	36. Chapter 35 Canteen

**Hiya! Sorry this took a while.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

**Chapter 35 - Canteen**

**Mandy's POV**

I couldn't believe it. Of all the things Christy had told me before today, I had never been so shocked.

"You're serious!"  
"Yep?  
"Johnny... and Beatrice?"  
"Yes! Ask her yourself if you don't believe me."

I did just that when Beatrice practically floated into chemistry. She seemed different today, sitting that little bit straighter despite the blunt pencil I nudged her with. Losing hope, I tried the sharp end of the pencil.  
"Spotty!" I ordered yet again, driving the end into her back. Fourteen nudges later, she turned around.  
"Yes, Mandy?" What! No "Stop it"? No eye-rolling? Who was this intruder?  
"Were you on a date last night?" I asked, positive that Christy was lying.  
"Does everyone know already?" she responded, a tiny grin on the nerd's face.  
"Yes or no?" I demanded.  
"Sort of." I don't have time for this.  
"Oh for the love of- did you kiss him?". Beatrice's red face told me all I needed to know, while the greasers' smiles and Dr Watts' expression told me I'd said it way too loudly.

**Peanut's POV**

All was well for us; the preps seemed unhappy after the last night's events, while any lingering problems between Beatrice and Johnny had been sorted out, leaving them closer than before the whole incident with Jimmy took place from what my friend had told me.  
"You two took your time, didn't you?" I joked as the sixteen of us walked into the canteen. Poor Bea went bright red as Johnny pressed his lips to her cheek, pulling away a few moments later while leaving his arm around her shoulder.

The canteen was quieter than normal as we wandered in. Perhaps it was the fact that the king of the greasers had just kissed a nerd in public. Then again, perhaps it was because of a note on the bulletin board about how Mr Taylor and Ms. Tyler(previously Spencer) would be present to see how the cash they threw at Crabblesnitch was being used.

Either way, neither seemed important to the preps as Tad Spencer swaggered over to us.  
"I believe you owe us an apology." he sniffed in that stupid accent the preps love. Thad quickly voiced our confusion.  
"Why? You tharted all thith." the aggressive nerd demanded. That boy had the puny body of a nerd and the mind of a thirty-five year old Lost Motorcycle Club biker when it came to the clique war.  
"Bif's eye is only just back to normal after that sneaky trick you rapscallions pulled last night. I'm pretty sure that assualt with a weapon is illegal, my boy. Il-leg-al." He stretched the final word out like you would if you were talking to someone a bit stupid.  
"Because your halo hasn't slipped recently, has it?" Norton commented, sizing Tad up as he spoke. Apparently, Derby noticed this, since within five minutes, he strode over to get involved.  
"Screw off, trust fund baby." Johnny ordered.  
"Not a chance. You should know enough not to mess with your betters." Derby smirked.  
"We didn't," Bucky pointed out. "We messed with a bunch of intoxicated neanderthalian brutes."  
"How dare you?" Spencer accused, anger creeping onto his face as his voice became louder.  
"Because it's the truth, you asshole!" Johnny shouted, his voice raised to match Spencer's volume. Any quiet chatter pervading the quiet died, with even the first years staring at us.  
"Oh really? Well perhaps you should have a bit more respect- my dad could make your life hell with one word. In fact, he owns you! He owns you, your scum friends, and your little harlot here!" he shrieked, pointing at Jimmy, me then Beatrice as he referred to each of us.

It turned out I wasn't the only greaser who thought that Tad had gone too far. The familiar expression crept onto his face, his fists clenched, and his eyes narrowed into maddened slits.

_Crap. I know that look..._

**Sheldon's POV**

"The Hole. Tonight at five." the greaser ordered darkly. In response, Tad Spencer nodded, a smirk appearing on his face.  
"I look forward to beating you." he added snidely as he walked off. Once the greaser king sat down, the red-haired girl a few years above me darted outside to spread the word whilst the nerd girl sat down beside him, a her eyes worried behind thick glasses.

Without a second's hesitation, I darted back into the school building, the way to the Hole flashing through my brain.

_Dr. Crabblesnitch will want to know about this..._


	37. Chapter 36 Hole

**Hi! I'm sorry this took so long, but I had a couple of problems with my computer, so I couldn't get this typed up. Italics are thoughts as always. There is violence in this chapter and some language, so if you don't like that stuff, you were warned.**

**Disclaimer: Not my puppet booth, I just like to pull the strings.**

**Chapter 36 - Hole**

**Johnny's POV**

All eyes were fixed on me as I climbed down the ladder before striding to where Spencer stood waiting for me, grinning more than a man about to be publicly beaten should.  
"Looking forward to getting your arse kicked, Vincent?" _Arrogant brat._  
"You wish, inbred."  
"Hey, first cousins is-"  
"Save it for the fight, Tad." Derby ordered, glaring at Tad like he would a little kid throwing a tantrum in the streets. "So how are we doing this, pauper?"  
"Whoever's left standing wins, trust fund turd." my right hand man replied, making no attempt to mask his hatred as he eyed the preppie warily.  
"Whoever's left standing?" Darby checked, an eyebrow raised. For some reason, a smirk slid onto his overly preened face. "Fine. On three?"  
"Fine by us." I shouted, glancing at the crowd; a bunch of preps the guys grinning in their certainty about who would win, Christy Martin ready to faint with excitement, two little girls arguing before pulling a few dollars out of their pockets each, and a concerned looking Beatrice mouthing reassurance, her hands wrapped around some weird contraption she had insisted on bringing "just in case".

"One." Tad stepped forward.  
"Two." Our fists rose to eye level.  
"Three!" The second the word rang out, I smashed my fist into Tad's cheek. He staggered back, giving me the opportunity to land a few more punches, most of which he blocked easily, snarling taunts as we exchanged hits. Cheers for the two of us shrieked through the air; some for me, some for the prep, and Mr Luntz unable to decide which of us he hated more before resolving to alternate between "Get that rich kid!" and "Punch that greaseball!".

After almost twenty minutes, Tad toppled to the floor. Raising my arms, a shot of adrenaline better than fixing a bike, better than winning a race, almost better than Halloween's events oozed through my body. Consequently, I was blind to the world's difficulties- the footsteps behind me were silent until a fist smashed into my back.

I felt the cold floor smack me as I fell forward. Shocked, I turned around to face my attacker. The laughing green eyes I saw staring back at me didn't belong to Spencer, who was now clambering out of the hole like a spider scrambling up the side of a bathtub.  
"Taylor, you sneaky little brat!" I shouted, puching a clenched fist to his face.  
"Sneaky?" the prep commented in mock surprise, blocking my punches effortlessly. "You agreed "last man standing". There was no agreement who that man had to be."

I swore under my breath._ Johnny, you idiot! The preps always pull something! _Unfortunately, I had no answer for him. Judging from his smirk as a warm, sticky liquid rn down my face, he didn't want one.  
"Now them," Derby's right hand man ordered, a harsh hatred on his features. "Shut up so I can beat you!"

**If anyone has any specific characters they'd like to fight each other, there's a poll up on my profile. Thanks for reading.**


	38. Chapter 37 Accident

**I'm sorry this took a while- things have been hectic. This story will be finishing soon, so thank you to anyone still reading- you have a better attention span than I do.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 37- Accident**

**Sheldon's POV**

Tap. Tap. Tap. Panting like a greyhound at the end of a race, I rapped my fist against the door so hard that I almost expected the wood to splinter. What was taking the principal?

A few seconds later, Miss Danvers opened the door,her pupils instantly raised to the ceiling as they caught sight of my face... maybe she'd been having a bad day?  
"Sheldon, Dr. Crabblesnitch is very busy at the moment," the pretty secretary groaned. Behind her voice, I heard two sharp voices. Standing on tiptoes, I saw two women talking to my friend Dr. Crabblesnitch, each with an expensive-looking dress and businesslike expression plastered upon their faces, poorly masking a slight boredom.  
"Sheldon, you can come back later,"  
"But Miss Danvers-" I began to explain, quickly cut off by the harrassed woman. Peering past the secretary, I noticed the unknown familiarity of the two women; reddish brown ribbons curled about her face, while her light blue shirt marked them out as rich. However, the way Crabblesnitch addressed her- Ms Tyler- was unfamiliar. _Perhaps a new student I could make friends with?_  
"Please, Sheldon, this is an important meeting-"  
"Miss, please listen to me!"  
"Sheldon, don't interrupt! I'm surprised at y-"  
"There's a fight in the Hole," At the mention of the brawl's location, sparks of interest lit up her coffee coloured irises- the Hole was a sort of rumour around the staff room that most dismissed as lies, a bit like people did when Pedro told them that Mr. Hattrick was a sniper in Korea. Eventually, my good friend appeared by the door.  
"Sheldon, boy, what is the problem?"

**Tad's POV**

"Tad!" Appalled, my head snapped around to see several late arrivals to the fight; Dr Crabblesnitch, a little kid, Mrs Taylor, and my mother, her mouth stretched into an almost cartoonish oval, about to begin pleading like I'd heard so often before with Dad. However, whatever she was about to say was cut off by the one peon least qualified to intervene. Take a guess who.  
"What is the meaning of this? Get out of there this instant!" Crabblesnitch ordered, ever under the illusion that he possessed authority. My ears heard, but they weren't listening. Perhaps if my pride hadn't muffled his voice, the whole mess would have turned out more back into the hole, I stalked over, passing Bif on my way. Strangely, it occured to me that- despite having nothing else in common- the cliques each seemed able to depend on their allies; egg yolk dripped down the walls, screams of encouragement echoed from almost every lung and shards of glass studded the floor of the Hole, a putrid green liquid glazing the floor. A mess, to put it politely.

My presence seemed to have the same effect as steroids on the greaseball contender- no sooner had I came within arm's reach than a fist flew out at me. It was followed by a kick. A hit to the gut. A right hook to the face. Not surprisingly, I dodged almost every one effortlessly- it wasn't like I'd never been hit before- before flinging one blindly, stupidly. I waited for the thud, the blood on my knuckles. Instead, my hit attacked the air. I thudded to the floor, a shard of glass crashing into my flesh. At the same moment that a sharp pain ripped through my side, a toxic panic began to creep into the air, suffocating the jeering crowd until there was a frightened silence screaming from every face; Christy's, Johnny's, my mother's... Each face began to blur, my vision seeping away with the warm liquid running from my side, mingling with the green concoction from the nerd's stink bombs.

I was in deep trouble.


End file.
